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Hendrick Motorsports driver Chase Elliott won his third 2022 NASCAR Cup Series race at Atlanta Motor Speedway on Sunday after Corey LaJoie’s wreck on the final lap. With his win, the points table topper became the second Georgia-born driver after his father, Bill Elliott, to claim a victory at his home track.
The 26-year-old emerged victorious when he took the lead from Lajoie with two laps remaining and held off the charging field to take an impressive win on the 1.54-mile-long track. Elliott dominated the Quaker State 400, winning the first two stages, leading 97 of the 260 laps, and ultimately won his first Cup race at Atlanta Motor Speedway in nine starts.
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On the closing lap of Sunday’s dramatic race, Elliott and LaJoie ran neck-to-neck and the former eventually passed LaJoie. The Spire Motorsports driver then tried to get aggressive on the final lap in an attempt to earn his first NASCAR Cup Series victory, but it just was not meant to be, as he lost control in Turn 1 and crashed into the wall.
This brought out the 13th caution of the race, but Chase Elliott was leading the race at the time of the caution, giving him the first victory in front of his home crowd.
With his victory in Georgia, the 2020 Cup Series champion became the first driver to win three races this season and marked the 16th victory of his NASCAR Cup Series career.
The Quaker State 400 saw 27 lead changes among 12 different drivers. The venue hosted its second Cup race on its newly repaved 1.54-mile-long track and witnessed 13 caution flags.
Chase Elliott talks about his first Atlanta win
Sunday’s win was amazing for Chase Elliott as he collected his second win in the last three outings. With the win, he gained 60 points and stands at the top of the Cup Series points table.
During the post-race interview, speaking about winning the first race at his home track, he said:
“I’m just so proud. This is obviously home for me and home to a lot of great fans who made a lot of noise today. Couldn’t be more proud of our team.”
NASCAR Cup Series returns next weekend for Foxwoods Resort Casino 301 at New Hampshire Motor Speedway. The action will go live at 3:00 p.m. EST on Sunday, July 17, 2022.
