HAMPTON, Ga. – Chase Elliott led the way for Hendrick Motorsports in Sunday’s NASCAR Cup Series race at Atlanta Motor Speedway.
Elliott finished 15th in the No. 9 Hooters Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 in a race that saw him overcome multiple incidents and setbacks. The day started with the 2020 Cup Series champion going to the rear for an unapproved adjustment. Elliott was then involved in the 16-car incident on lap 2 and the team went to work on the nose damage on the car. The team worked on the car to make it better for the Dawsonville, Georgia, native. After staying out for the start on stage two, Elliott took advantage of his track position and enjoyed time in the top five. The 28-year-old driver earned a stage point in the second segment.
A strong pit stop under the stage break for the final stage set Elliott up to restart the last stage in third. He continued to work in the top 10 before contact from Ross Chastain on lap 199 saw the No. 9 spin off of turn three. Elliott’s ride avoided major damage and he worked his way back into the top 15 before spinning out again with 11 circuits left. He avoided hitting anything and took the final restart from the 21st position. In the closing five-lap run, Elliott gained six spots to finish in 15th at his home track.
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William Byron took the green flag from the 11th position in the No. 24 Raptor High Heat Chevrolet Camaro ZL1. Early on, he narrowly avoided Chris Buescher’s spin on lap 25. Byron told crew chief Rudy Fugle that he was battling a tight car and wanted to go back on some adjustments from the team’s first stop. The 2024 DAYTONA 500 winner earned two stage points with a ninth-place finish in stage two. With varying pit strategies, Byron restarted stage two in 23rd and moved quickly up the field, reaching seventh on lap 95. He let Fugle know he was too tight to run the bottom, but the team was occupying a spot in the top 10.
Coming to pit on lap 134, Byron and Michael McDowell made contact on the apron of pit road. The Charlotte, North Carolina, native had some damage but was able to finish the stage. The crew went to work on fixing up the No. 24 Chevy while Byron remained a lap down. With 19 laps to go, he was able to get the free pass position and he moved up to finish the race in 17th.
Alex Bowman got caught up in a 16-car incident in turn one that impacted the rest of his day. The driver of the No. 48 Ally Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 took on significant rear damage after sliding off of turn one. The team was able to clear the damaged vehicle policy and continue. The laps around the track will help the Blake Harris-led team build its notebook for the return trip to Atlanta in September, which also serves as the opening race of the playoffs. At day’s end, Bowman finished 27th.
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Kyle Larson started the race from the fifth position in the No. 5 HendrickCars.com Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 and wasted no time moving into the top-two positions. He battled Kyle Busch and Ryan Blaney for the lead in the opening stage. In a one-lap finish to close the stage, Larson finished fourth. After pitting during the stage break, the 2021 Cup Series champion restarted 18th and saw his car come to life in the latter half of the run. He maintained a top-five position throughout the entire second half of the stage, finishing the segment in second. The 31-year-old driver’s 16 stage points scored were the second-most in the race.
An issue with the left rear tire during the stage break pit stop led to a lengthy pit stop and Larson restarting 18th for the final stage. Again, he wasted no time driving through the field – reaching second on lap 198. Larson maintained a top-10 spot but was involved in a wreck on lap 219. The Elk Grove, California, native was involved in an incident with Brad Keselowski and Corey LaJoie off of turn four. Keselowski got loose in the corner and Larson had nowhere to go, resulting in an end of his race and a 32nd-place finish. His 17 laps led in this race were his most in the five events on the reconfigured Atlanta track.
"There wasn’t anything I could do from my seat," Larson said of the incident that ended his race. "I just tried to check up as much as I could. It was just a chain reaction and I kind of got pushed into the wreck. A bummer to end the race early again here at Atlanta (Motor Speedway). We had a really good No. 5 HendrickCars.com Chevy. I had a lot of fun today. It was super intense and it’s been a great race."
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Daniel Suarez edged out Blaney and Busch in a photo finish for the win to give Chevrolet a two-for-two start to the season.
Leaving Atlanta, Byron is tied for second in the points standings – sitting just one marker behind Busch for the lead. Elliott is sixth in the standings, while Bowman is tied for ninth and Larson sits in 11th.
Next up on the schedule for Hendrick Motorsports and the Cup Series is Las Vegas Motor Speedway. The organization has a series-best nine wins there, including three in a row in the spring race. Larson (2021), Bowman (2022) and Byron (2023) have each won the spring event at the Nevada track and the team swept the top-three spots in last year’s March race. On top of that, Larson won the playoff race in October of 2023. Tune in to see all the action on Sunday, March 3, at 3:30 p.m. ET on FOX, PRN Radio and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio (Channel 90).