HAMPTON, GA. (AP) Chase Elliott’s drought-breaking victory couldn’t have come at a better time.
When Elliott, the home-state favorite, passed Brad Keselowski on the last lap to win the NASCAR Cup Series at Atlanta on Saturday night, ending a 44-race drought, the crowd erupted in cheers.
After winning his first title in 2020, Elliott’s 20th career victory moved him up to second place in the Cup Series points race, positioning him to regain his position at the top of the NASCAR world.
Elliott’s first win since April 2024 at Texas secured him a berth in the NASCAR playoffs. He added that the cheers from the supporters who screamed “Chase!” helped him recall the victory as a career high point. Chase! Chase!
Elliott, a native of Dawsonville, Georgia, joined the celebration with the spectators by scaling the stands at EchoPark Speedway, formerly known as Atlanta Motor Speedway.
Elliott admitted that it was a somewhat weird moment. Something that will live in my memory forever. It’s been a while since we’ve won, so Saturday night under the lights was just a win for us and a step forward in the playoffs.
He hadn’t won in Atlanta since 2022.
Elliott is 37 points behind William Byron, a teammate from Hendrick Motorsports, who has 631. Kyle Larson, a third driver for Hendrick Motorsports, comes in third.
Alex Bowman, another Hendrick driver, was instrumental in Elliott’s victory comeback. On the last lap, Bowman, who finished third, pushed Elliott and then assisted in blocking Keselowski.
Bowman stated, “I’m happy for the 9 team.” In his hometown, it’s a significant victory for him. Having a Hendrick vehicle in victory lane makes me happy. I wish we were involved.
Elliott promised to assist Bowman join the other three Hendrick drivers in the playoffs as a way of saying “thank you.”
Elliott acknowledged, “I know he gave me a great shove.” I understand that he ran on Brad in an attempt to go up to second, which ultimately benefited me as well.
Yes, I do remember all of those things.
Elliott made it to the second round of the five-race, bracket-style NASCAR’s new In-Season Challenge. When the Cup Series shifts to the Chicago Street Race on Sunday, Elliott will face John Hunter Nemechek, after the field was reduced from 32 to 16 drivers.
Elliott’s chances of winning the $1 million reward increased after the Atlanta wrecks eliminated Denny Hamlin and Chase Briscoe, the top two seeds.
Elliott would not be the first member of the family to get a bonus of $1 million. As a result of winning three of the top four races on the circuit at the time, his father, Bill Elliott, was the first person to win the Winston Million in 1985. The elder Elliott became known as Million Dollar Bill as a result of the bonus.
Elliott, who is younger now, has a good chance of winning another $1 million reward.
“I hope it turns out that way because it would be a really cool thing to win for sure,” Chase Elliott said.
After missing six races in 2023 and requiring surgery to fix a damaged tibia in his left leg from a snowboarding accident, Elliott experienced a victory drought. He claimed that a major factor in his ability to maintain his confidence and return to his winning ways was the assistance of veteran crew chief Alan Gustafson.
The victory, according to Gustafson, was more crucial for the 2025 playoff race than for breaking the winning streak.
Gustafson stated that the playoff points were definitely getting close. That’s probably the largest thing, in my opinion. I don’t believe any of the automobiles that were competing had won. That cushion was definitely the most important item we required, in my opinion.
Elliott’s victory on Saturday night marked his third consecutive top-five result.
It’s an amazing accomplishment when you’re lucky enough to reach the summit of the mountain and be able to stand there with someone, isn’t it? “Well,” Elliott answered. (Gustafson) and I will always treasure that and be reminded that we accomplished it together.
Climbing that mountain with the same folks we did the first time is really, incredibly important to me because I know that we will always support one another. For me, that is simply a crucial component of the puzzle.
