Many thought this time it might happen: Chase Elliott seemed to be poised to finally get a win at his home track Atlanta Motor Speedway.
Coming off a win at Road America the week prior gave Elliott his second Atlanta pole in his seven starts in the NASCAR Cup series.
Elliott would lead the first 13 laps, but troubles started early. During stops for a competition caution on lap 25, Elliott overshot his pit stall, hitting a tire into a crewmember behind the stall as he did so. He could return to the lineup 18th and seemed to struggle much of the day.
In the end Elliott was able to rally and finish 7th but will have to wait another day to try and get his first win and start his climb to match his dad’s total of five wins.
“We had a long day, for sure,” Elliott said. “The Adrenaline Shoc Camaro was not so hot there to start, and really just worked a lot. We changed a bunch of stuff throughout the day and just kind of kept grinding. I feel like we got to a decent spot there at the end.
“We weren’t anything special. But it was a heck of a lot better than where we started today. So, I’m happy with that. We just need to find a little pace and need to find a little bit myself and I think we can get back to where we need to be. We just need a tick more.”
Elliott’s best finish came in his second start in Atlanta when he finished fifth in 2017. With the track getting a repave as well as a reconfiguration however, Chase will need to start a new Elliott family winning tradition at what will be the new Atlanta Motor Speedway next season.
Greg is the author of "The Nuts and Bolts of NASCAR: The Definitive Viewers' Guide to Big-Time Stock Car Auto Racing" and has been published in major publications across the country including the Los Angeles Times, the Cleveland Plain Dealer and the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. He was also a contributor to Chicken Soup for the NASCAR Soul, published in 2010, and the Christmas edition in 2016. He wrote as the NASCAR, Formula 1, Auto Reviews and National Veterans Affairs Examiner for Examiner.com and has appeared on Fox News. He holds a BS degree in communications, a Masters degree in psychology and is currently a PhD candidate majoring in psychology. He is currently the weekend Motorsports Editor for Autoweek.
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