HAMPTON, Ga. — With the home crowd cheering his every move, Chase Elliott wanted this win so badly.
He saw Corey LaJoie coming up quickly in the rearview mirror. No way Elliott was letting him by.
The Georgia-born driver powered past the upset-minded LaJoie with just under two laps to go and crossed the finish line under yellow after a big block sent LaJoie smashing into the wall on Sunday at Atlanta Motor Speedway.
It was Elliott’s first NASCAR Cup victory at what he considers his home track after coming up short on his first eight tries.
“I’ve witnessed guys win at their home track, and you could tell it meant a lot to them,” Elliott said. “But until you start competing at the sport’s highest stage, you don’t truly understand what it can mean for you. To have this moment is so special and one I’m grateful for.”
Elliott pulled back around in front of the main grandstand, greeted by a boisterous ovation from fans who cheered loudly every time he went to the front and seemingly stretched all the way to Dawsonville, the north Georgia town that produced the winner and his father, longtime NASCAR Cup star Bill Elliott.
“Awesome Bill From Dawsonville” won five times at the historic Atlanta track. Now, his kid has one too.
The Elliotts are the only Georgia-born drivers to win a Cup race in Atlanta. They are the third father-son duo to take the checkered flag at the 1.54-mile tri-oval, joining the Jarretts (Ned and Dale) and the Earnhardts (Dale and Dale Jr.).
The wild capper to another eventful Atlanta race denied LaJoie the first victory of his career, which would’ve been a huge shocker for the low-budget Spire Motorsports team.
On a restart with three laps to go, LaJoie led the field from the inside lane and did everything he could to hold off Elliott. But after they crossed the start-finish line for the next-to-last time, Elliott surged to the lead on the outside with a helpful push from Erik Jones.
LaJoie was setting up a good run on the leader as they took the white flag, looking to pass Elliott in the same spot where he gave up the lead.
Elliott slid up the banking to cut off his challenger. LaJoie, who has only one top-five finish in his career, ran out of room and smashed the outside wall.
Ross Chastain looked to make a move on Elliott, but the yellow lights flashed with No. 9 still nearly a car length ahead.
That was it. Elliott could finally relax, becoming the first three-time winner in a season that has produced 13 different victors.
Chastain was the runner-up, followed by Austin Cindric, Jones and Ryan Blaney. LaJoie settled for the 21st spot.
“Obviously, I knew he was gonna have a big run. I tried to give him one good, aggressive block,” Elliott said. “I don’t know what else to do. You go for the win or you don’t. I’m going to choose Option A every time.”
LaJoie, whose best career finish was a fifth-place showing at this year’s Atlanta spring race, nearly pulled off the most improbable victory of a wild season. He had no complaints about Elliott’s aggressive move.
“That was fun,” LaJoie said. “It’s nice to have that thing out front for once. I made my move. It didn’t work out.”
Even Rick Hendrick, who owns Elliott’s car, sympathized with LaJoie’s tough-luck finish.
“If we couldn’t win, I wanted them to win,” Hendrick said. “He drove a heck of a race. He looked as good as anybody in this field.”
Martin Truex Jr. was leading a tight pack at the front when Chastain caused his second wreck of the day with 14 laps to go.
A two-time winner this season, Chastain also has made plenty of enemies with his overly aggressive driving. He tapped the left rear quarter-panel of Denny Hamlin‘s car, which sent the No. 11 into a spin that ruined his hopes of winning.
Truex led on the restart with eight laps to go, and LaJoie pulled ahead on the backstretch, but the yellow flag came out again when Hamlin was bumped for a second time. This time, it was Christopher Bell trying to squeeze between Hamlin and Joey Logano, setting off a spin that took out all three cars.
Hamlin finished 25th.