Quaker State 400 Tag

By David Morgan, Associate Editor HAMPTON, Ga. – They knew he was here. While the final rundown shows the No. 7 Chevrolet in 21st place, that doesn’t tell the whole story of the run by Corey Lajoie and Spire Motorsports on Sunday at Atlanta Motor Speedway. After finishing fifth at the track back in March, Lajoie was confident they could be a factor again this time around, even starting deep in the field in 30th place. By the end of the second stage, Lajoie had worked his way into the top-10Read More

By Holly Cain, NASCAR Wire Service Chase Elliott is a former NASCAR Cup Series champion and currently the 2022 title leader. But finally scoring a dramatic victory Sunday afternoon at his home track – Atlanta Motor Speedway – in front of a vocal and adoring home crowd ranks right up there as far as he’s concerned. Elliott’s No. 9 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet led a race best 96 of the 260 laps and held off a charging field to win Sunday’s Quaker State 400 Presented by Walmart, ultimately securing the trophyRead More

By David Morgan, Associate Editor HAMPTON, Ga. – Michael McDowell is no stranger to success on the superspeedways and with Atlanta Motor Speedway now in that category, he is hoping to be in a position to strike when the checkered flag falls on Sunday’s Quaker State 400. The winner of the 2021 Daytona 500 is in the midst of one of his best seasons in recent years, even though he has yet to score a win thus far. Through the first 18 races of the season, McDowell has captured one top-fiveRead More

By David Morgan, Associate Editor HAMPTON, Ga. – Win and you’re in. Those four words have defined the NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs in recent years, but the 2022 season has been one for the record books and when it’s all said and done, just having a win might not be the ticket to the postseason. Of the 16 available spots in the Playoffs, 13 different drivers have won a race to claim their spot, but with eight races remaining in the regular season, including Sunday’s Quaker State 400 at Atlanta, evenRead More

By David Morgan, Associate Editor HAMPTON, Ga. – William Byron was victorious the last time the NASCAR Cup Series visited Atlanta Motor Speedway back in March and as the series returns for Sunday’s Quaker State 400, he’s hoping to parlay that success into breaking his mid-season slump. Byron came out of the gate on fire when the 2022 season started, banking wins at Atlanta and Martinsville, but since scoring his second win, the driver of the No. 24 Chevrolet has struggled, only finishing in the top-10 once in the 10 racesRead More

By David Morgan, Associate Editor HAMPTON, Ga. – There’s no place like home. Coming off a win two weeks ago at Nashville and a runner-up finish at Road America, Chase Elliott would love nothing more than to add a third victory to his resume this season and pad his points lead with a win in Sunday at Atlanta Motor Speedway. The Dawsonville, Georgia native and 2020 NASCAR Cup Series champion watched his father, Bill Elliott, win at the track five times over the course of his Hall of Fame worthy career,Read More

By David Morgan, Associate Editor Half of the 2022 NASCAR Cup Series season is now complete as Atlanta Motor Speedway comes calling this weekend to kick off the second half with Sunday’s running of the Quaker State 400. Atlanta’s aging racing surface, which had been in place since 1997, held together as long as possible, but the 260 laps around the 1.5-mile track last July were the last on that particular surface as the track underwent a repave and reconfiguration for the 2022 season. The 24-degree banking in the turns wasRead More

By Luis Torres, Staff Writer On paper, Martin Truex, Jr. started fifth in Sunday’s Quaker State 400 at Atlanta Motor Speedway. That all changed during pre-race inspections when his No. 19 Auto-Owners Insurance Toyota Camry failed twice. The first issue came from the deck lid, which NASCAR deemed to be too high. His Joe Gibbs Racing crew were able to fix the issue, but a new issue rose. The tail wasn’t compliant to the sanctioning body’s liking. By the rulebook, Truex had to give up his starting position and work hisRead More

By Holly Cain, NASCAR Wire Service Kurt Busch out-dueled his younger brother Kyle Busch in the pair’s fourth career 1-2 finish to secure his 2021 NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs position and take his 33rd career victory in Sunday’s Quaker State 400 Presented by Walmart. Busch, 42, has been particularly good at the 1.5-mile Atlanta Motor Speedway. Sunday’s win was his fourth there, most among the current field, and the last trophy given before the historic NASCAR track is repaved and reconfigured going forward. More importantly Sunday’s work was a bigRead More

By David Morgan, Associate Editor The end of an era. With the oldest track surface in NASCAR, having not been repaved since it’s 1997 reconfiguration, Atlanta Motor Speedway always gets rave reviews from drivers who enjoy slipping and sliding around on the worn-out surface. To come home victorious in Sunday’s Quaker State 400, drivers will have a war on two fronts to battle. First, tire management will play a big role in the final outcome of the race with the abrasiveness that the track offers over the course of a run.Read More