Getty Chase Elliott celebrates a win at Atlanta Motor Speedway.
The NASCAR Cup Series returned to Atlanta Motor Speedway on July 10 for a hot, mini-superspeedway race. Chase Elliott won his hometown race under caution after taking the white flag and he joined an elite list that also includes his father.
This win, which was Elliott’s first at Atlanta Motor Speedway, made him the second member of his family to win at the Georgia track. Bill Elliott won five times at AMS during his Hall of Fame career. This win also helped the Elliotts become the third father-son duo to win at the track. Ned and Dale Jarrett each won once at AMS. Dale Earnhardt won nine times at the track while Dale Earnhardt Jr. won once.
Another wild one to add to a wild season.
“It’s just near and dear to your heart to have success this close to home,” Elliott said after the race ended, transcript courtesy of PRN. “To be standing here in victory lane is a big deal for me. We want to enjoy it, these things are hard to come by.”
Elliott is the first driver in the 2022 season to secure three wins. He entered the race weekend in a tie with Denny Hamlin, Joey Logano, Ross Chastain, and William Byron. He left with his third win and 20 total playoff points.
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Elliott Achieved a Major Goal at Atlanta Motor Speedway
GettyChase Elliott swept all three stages at Atlanta Motor Speedway.
Joining the elite list was not the only way in which Elliott turned heads. He also snapped a unique streak that has dominated the first 18 races of the Gen 7 era of Cup Series action.
Elliott is the first driver in the 2022 season to sweep the first two stages of a race before capturing the checkered flag. Every other driver has fallen short, including Martin Truex Jr. (Daytona 500, Nashville Superspeedway) and Tyler Reddick (Auto Club Speedway). Elliott also swept the opening stages at Martinsville Speedway before William Byron won.
This performance was critical for Elliott. He walked away with seven playoff points, which only helped him build up a cushion in the regular-season standings. He is now seven points ahead of Chastain, who ended the day second overall after sparking multiple wrecks.
A couple of race car drivers.
While Elliott swept the first two stages, he was not at the front of the pack during the final restart. He was actually in the second row behind Corey LaJoie and Martin Truex Jr. Elliott had to use an aggressive move to jump to the lead, and then he had to block LaJoie’s No. 7 after the white flag waved. This move sent the No. 7 into the wall and kicked off the wreck which brought out the final caution and ended the race.
Elliott Now Has 4 Seasons With More Than 3 Wins
The Dawsonville native is secure in the playoff standings, and he is well on his way to winning the regular-season title. If he can achieve this goal, he will secure another 15 bonus points, which would be the equivalent of three wins and would likely move him automatically on to the Round of 12.
The 2022 season now marks the fourth time in Elliott’s career that he has reached Victory Lane three or more times. He went winless in his first two full-time seasons with Hendrick Motorsports, but he won three times in 2018 and 2019. Elliott added five more wins in 2020 before he captured the Cup Series championship.
2021 was a “down year” for Elliott considering that he only won twice, but he still reached the championship four for the second consecutive season. Now he is well on his way to another deep playoff run after winning his third race of 2022. He is also only one win away from tying Kyle Larson, Marvin Panch, and Curtis Turner on the all-time wins list.
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