Bob Pockrass
FOX Motorsports Insider
HAMPTON, Ga. — Chase Elliott doesn’t present emotion usually, however the exhilaration he confirmed in successful Sunday evening at Atlanta indicated that this win was a spotlight amongst his 20 NASCAR Cup Collection victories.
Elliott wasn’t the one one excited.
Having grown up and nonetheless dwelling 85 miles from the observe, Elliott stays NASCAR’s hottest driver and one among Georgia’s favourite sons in relation to athletes.
Chase Elliott celebrates following the operating of the NASCAR Cup Collection Quaker State 400
That was most evident within the roar of the group as they cheered his triumph.
“To see them that excited after the race for me was simply loopy,” Elliott stated. “It was surreal. I do not actually understand how else to explain it. It is simply a type of moments you would like you may bottle up and relive it.”
Elliott hasn’t had a lot of an opportunity to expertise victory celebrations lately.
The 2020 Cup champion snapped a 44-race winless streak with the win. Not solely had he not received a race this yr, he had not even received a stage. In his earlier 99 begins, Elliott had managed only one victory.
So whereas he had 5 prime fives and 9 prime 10s in 17 races coming into Sunday evening, Elliott’s solid-but-no-trophy season had the vibe of extra pretender than contender.
Chase Elliott celebrates after successful the NASCAR Cup Collection Quaker State 400
The victory Saturday evening perhaps modified all that. He received a wild race the place solely 21 drivers completed on the lead lap and 12 of the 40 automobiles had been eradicated by accidents.
The racing at Atlanta, a 1.54-mile high-banked observe, is meant to be the identical type as Daytona and Talladega. However drivers might usually make runs even with out assist. Now after they had assist, the run was nearly unstoppable.
The runs on the finish had been livid, and top-of-the-line on this type of racing, Brad Keselowski, was out entrance within the remaining laps. However Elliott, with the assistance of a push from Hendrick teammate Alex Bowman, obtained out entrance after which Keselowski had no assist as Bowman definitely wasn’t going to push Keselowski previous his teammate.
“All of the playing cards fell on the fitting locations there these final couple laps,” Elliott stated. “What a loopy race. … It was wild from my seat. I am so glad we obtained to run that factor on the market to the tip.”
Elliott in all probability wouldn’t have received with out the push he might depend on from a teammate resembling Bowman.
“I did not actually have a selection there on the final lap of what I used to be going to do,” Bowman stated. “There wasn’t a chance for me to win the race, sadly. The best way the race would shuffle the chief out each handful of laps, I simply led too early there. … I simply obtained the timing fallacious and did not preserve management the race.”
For Bowman, having Elliott win the race was higher than the opposite drivers, as Bowman is on the bubble to make the playoffs on factors. Elliott was a winless driver however gave the impression to be in a snug place so far as factors.
However the remainder of the drivers jockeying for the win — Brad Keselowski was second, adopted by Bowman, Tyler Reddick, Erik Jones, Ricky Stenhouse Jr. and Zane Smith — might have impacted Bowman’s hopes to make the playoffs.
“I did not take into consideration that, however you are not fallacious,” Bowman stated about Elliott’s win being good for him personally. “Clearly, it is a crew of us (Hendrick drivers) out right here, so having a Hendrick automobile in victory lane is all the time a very good factor.
Alex Bowman places on warmth shields previous to the operating of the NASCAR Cup Collection Quaker State 400
Clearly, it was a very good factor for Elliott, who might take pleasure in successful the wild race however as he famous, he’ll take wins any method he can get them.
“Simply to win a race is good usually,” Elliott stated. I am not going to get choosy with whether or not it is wild or boring. It was good to return out on the nice of that. It might have been one among 5 – 6 of us on the finish.
“For me, happily, the runs simply actually timed up on the good time, and we had been capable of do one thing with them.”
Elliott has had up-and-down outcomes at Atlanta, with just one top-10 end in his 4 begins since a win in July 2022. He has not run effectively when he has sported a paint scheme designed by a affected person of Youngsters’s Healthcare of Atlanta as a part of a fund-raising program by his basis.
In order that simply made a particular evening further particular.
It was a particular evening within the making during the last couple of months. A nasty pit cease at Kansas ruined his probability in that race in early Could. Within the earlier two weeks, he completed third at Mexico Metropolis and fifth at Pocono, the place he confirmed extra velocity.
Elliott doesn’t get so absorbed within the outcomes as a lot as the method and the way in which they race, no matter what occurs with the outcomes.
“Have been we related? Did we really a shot? I consider on this sport, should you’re doing all these proper issues, that’s one thing to be happy with,” Elliott stated. “And should you’re doing them repeatedly, you’re going to get your flip. The final three or 4 weeks have been an instance of that.”
And the way will Elliott have a good time within the wee hours of Sunday morning after he happy his media obligations? He deliberate to drive himself residence.
“It’s not that far,” stated Elliott, who ought to be capable to make the journey in about two hours. “I’m going to sleep in my mattress.”
Bob Pockrass covers NASCAR and INDYCAR for FOX Sports activities. He has spent a long time overlaying motorsports, together with over 30 Daytona 500s, with stints at ESPN, Sporting Information, NASCAR Scene journal and The (Daytona Seashore) Information-Journal. Comply with him on Twitter @bobpockrass.
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