Bob Pockrass
FOX Motorsports Insider
HAMPTON, Ga. — Chase Elliott doesn’t present emotion typically, however the exhilaration he confirmed in profitable Sunday evening at Atlanta indicated that this win was a spotlight amongst his 20 NASCAR Cup Sequence victories.
Elliott wasn’t the one one excited.
Having grown up and nonetheless residing 85 miles from the observe, Elliott stays NASCAR’s hottest driver and one in every of Georgia’s favourite sons on the subject of athletes.
Chase Elliott celebrates following the operating of the NASCAR Cup Sequence 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 mentioned. “It was surreal. I do not actually know the way else to explain it. It is simply a type of moments you would like you can bottle up and relive it.”
Elliott hasn’t had a lot of an opportunity to expertise victory celebrations in recent times.
The 2020 Cup champion snapped a 44-race winless streak with the win. Not solely had he not gained a race this 12 months, he had not even gained 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 profitable the NASCAR Cup Sequence Quaker State 400
The victory Saturday evening perhaps modified all that. He gained 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 model as Daytona and Talladega. However drivers may typically 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 the most effective on this model of racing, Brad Keselowski, was out entrance within the ultimate 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 actually wasn’t going to push Keselowski previous his teammate.
“All of the playing cards fell on the proper locations there these final couple laps,” Elliott mentioned. “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 most likely wouldn’t have gained with out the push he may depend on from a teammate corresponding to Bowman.
“I did not actually have a selection there on the final lap of what I used to be going to do,” Bowman mentioned. “There wasn’t a possibility 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 flawed and did not keep 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 — may have impacted Bowman’s hopes to make the playoffs.
“I did not take into consideration that, however you are not flawed,” Bowman mentioned 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 an excellent factor.
Alex Bowman places on warmth shields previous to the operating of the NASCAR Cup Sequence Quaker State 400
Clearly, it was an excellent factor for Elliott, who may take delight in profitable the wild race however as he famous, he’ll take wins any method he can get them.
“Simply to win a race is sweet typically,” Elliott mentioned. I am not going to get choosy with whether or not it is wild or boring. It was good to come back out on the nice of that. It may have been one in every of 5 – 6 of us on the finish.
“For me, fortuitously, the runs simply actually timed up on the excellent time, and we had been in a position to 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 nicely when he has sported a paint scheme designed by a affected person of Kids’s Healthcare of Atlanta as a part of a fund-raising program by his basis.
In order that simply made a particular evening additional particular.
It was a particular evening within the making over the past couple of months. A nasty pit cease at Kansas ruined his likelihood 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 best way they race, no matter what occurs with the outcomes.
“Had been we related? Did we really a shot? I consider on this sport, when you’re doing all these proper issues, that’s one thing to be happy with,” Elliott mentioned. “And when you’re doing them usually, 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 glad his media obligations? He deliberate to drive himself dwelling.
“It’s not that far,” mentioned 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 masking 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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