NASCAR at Atlanta 2022 Results: Chase Elliott Wins Under Caution After LaJoie Crash
July 10, 2022
Chase Elliott won the Quaker State 400 at Atlanta Motor Speedway on Sunday after Corey LaJoie's crash on the final lap. It was Elliott's third Cup Series victory of the season.
The Georgia native led 96 of the 260 laps on Sunday, and it's his first career win at Atlanta Motor Speedway in nine starts. Elliott is the only NASCAR driver with three victories this season.
Ross Chastain, who was involved in multiple crashes on Sunday, placed second, while Austin Cindric finished third.
Here's a look at the top 10 finishers from Sunday's race, as well as a recap of the action.
Quaker State 400 Results
1. Chase Elliott
2. Ross Chastain
3. Austin Cindric
4. Erik Jones
5. Ryan Blaney
6. Daniel Suarez
7. Justin Haley
8. Aric Almirola
9. Cole Custer
10. Harrison Burton
Full leaderboard available at NASCAR.com
Sunday's race opened with a battle between Elliott and Ryan Blaney and for the front of the pack. Elliott's Hendrick Motorsports teammate Alex Bowman gave him some help with a push that allowed him to take the win in Stage One. It was the 26-year-old's first time winning a stage at Atlanta Motor Speedway.
The second stage was a bit more eventful, as the new pavement on the track began to cause problems for some drivers. A huge wreck occurred when Chastain ran into the back bumper of Martin Truex Jr., thereby taking out several other drivers as well.
Austin Dillon, who was involved in the crash, admonished Chastain for continuing to race so aggressively despite his issues throughout the 2022 season.
"When you've got guys like him out there wrecking half the field, you might as well take a different strategy sometimes," Dillon said.
NASCAR @NASCAR"Looks like we were just a casualty of Ross Chastain again."<a href="https://twitter.com/austindillon3?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@austindillon3</a> was okay after hard contact in the <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/QS400?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#QS400</a>. <a href="https://t.co/fIgjlg2K9H">pic.twitter.com/fIgjlg2K9H</a>
Tom Bowles @NASCARBowlesFrom <a href="https://twitter.com/FSBradH?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@FSBradH</a>… <a href="https://twitter.com/austindillon3?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@austindillon3</a> still venting his frustration over <a href="https://twitter.com/RossChastain?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@RossChastain</a>. <a href="https://twitter.com/Frontstretch?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@Frontstretch</a> <br><br>“It just seems like every week, he’s a part of something.”<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/nascar?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#nascar</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/QuakerState400?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#QuakerState400</a> <a href="https://t.co/5AKopUxLkR">pic.twitter.com/5AKopUxLkR</a>
Stage Two ended with Bowman running into the wall after a tire issue, which ended up giving Elliott another playoff point and a sweep of the early stages.
NASCAR on NBC @NASCARonNBCAlex Bowman has a tire failure and hits the wall, bringing an end to Stage 2.<br><br>Chase Elliott takes the stage win and earns another playoff point. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/NASCAR?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#NASCAR</a> <a href="https://t.co/vZkfTrdekA">pic.twitter.com/vZkfTrdekA</a>
Early in Stage Three, another wreck took down multiple contenders after Garrett Smithley in the No. 15 car lost control. The crash ended the day for William Byron, who had been victorious at Atlanta Motor Speedway earlier this spring, and Tyler Reddick.
Elliott emerged as the leader as we got toward the home stretch, but he had some unlikely competition from LaJoie, who surpassed the most laps he's ever led in a single race on Sunday.
Some tire issues by Christopher Bell brought out another caution flag with 19 laps remaining, but most of the other drivers avoided any substantial damage. He also had some problems on pit road when one of his tires flew off, which could lead to some discipline from NASCAR.
Shortly after the restart, another major wreck happened when Chastain ran into Denny Hamlin with 13 laps to go in the race. It's not the first time this season that Hamlin has been the victim of Chastain's aggression on the track.
Some issues in the back of the field immediately after the restart caused another quick caution. LaJoie took advantage and emerged as the leader with a few laps to go.
NASCAR @NASCARA perfect restart puts <a href="https://twitter.com/CoreyLaJoie?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@CoreyLaJoie</a> on point before the caution comes out.<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/QS400?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#QS400</a> | <a href="https://twitter.com/USA_Network?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@USA_Network</a> <a href="https://t.co/jxpQPUm4oQ">pic.twitter.com/jxpQPUm4oQ</a>
Elliott didn't give up and eventually passed LaJoie, who then tried to get aggressive on the final lap in a last-ditch effort to earn his first Cup Series victory. But it just wasn't meant to be, as LaJoie got loose and ran into the wall. Elliott was ahead of Chastain at the time of the caution, giving him the victory in his home state.
Elliott's father, Bob Elliott, had also won at Atlanta Motor Speedway in his NASCAR career. They are now the second father-son duo to have victories at the racetrack, joining Dale Earnhardt Sr. and Dale Earnhardt Jr.
There are three playoff spots left for grabs as the drivers will now turn their attention to next Sunday's Ambetter 301 at New Hampshire Motor Speedway. The race is set to begin at 3 p.m. ET.