NASCAR / ARCA / SRX Race Weekend Recap (Atlanta; Mid-Ohio; Nashville
Winners: Chase Elliott (Cup); Austin Hill (Xfinity); Parker Kligerman (Trucks); Taylor Gray (ARCA West) plus Bobby Labonte (SRX)
NASCAR Cup
Chase Elliott denies LaJoie in Late-Race Battle
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 97 of the 260 laps and held off a charging field to win Sunday’s Quaker State 400 Presented by Walmart, ultimately securing the trophy when the caution flag came out in the closing portion of the frenzied final lap.
Corey LaJoie, who was dueling it out with Elliott on the last lap, brought out that caution after hitting the wall in Turn 1 in a final attempt to pull alongside and pass Elliott for what would have also been a popular first-career NASCAR Cup Series victory for the well-liked LaJoie.
“This one’s up there for sure, to win at your home track is a real big deal I think to any race car driver,’’ said Elliott, 26, of nearby Dawsonville, Ga. “I watched a lot of guys do it over the years, Jimmie [Johnson] out in California. We haven’t really had a very good run here, so I felt like today was a good opportunity for us.
“I’m just so proud. This is obviously home for me and home to a lot of great fans who made a lot of noise today. Couldn’t be more proud of our team.”
Corey LaJoie, who was dueling it out with Elliott on the last lap, brought out that caution after hitting the wall in Turn 1 in a final attempt to pull alongside and pass Elliott for what would have also been a popular first-career NASCAR Cup Series victory for the well-liked LaJoie.
“This one’s up there for sure, to win at your home track is a real big deal I think to any race car driver,’’ said Elliott, 26, of nearby Dawsonville, Ga. “I watched a lot of guys do it over the years, Jimmie [Johnson] out in California. We haven’t really had a very good run here, so I felt like today was a good opportunity for us.
“I’m just so proud. This is obviously home for me and home to a lot of great fans who made a lot of noise today. Couldn’t be more proud of our team.”
Pole: Chase Elliott
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Next Race: The Cup Series will return on Sunday, July 17 for the Ambetter 301
at New Hampshire Motor Speedway.
NASCAR Xfinity
Austin Hill Fends Off Final-Lap Challenges for Home-State Win
Radio trouble prevented driver Austin Hill from being able to speak to his Richard Childress Racing crew during the Alsco Uniforms 250 NASCAR Xfinity Series race Saturday afternoon at Atlanta Motor Speedway, but he sure understood the final hand signal.
Number one.
The Georgia native, 28, won at his hometown track for the first time in his NASCAR career – holding off JR Motorsports driver Josh Berry by a mere .111-second –the closest Xfinity Series race finish in track history and another fitting number nod to Hill’s finish.
His 73 laps led in the No. 21 RCR Chevrolet was most on the day and the most of his young NASCAR Xfinity Series career.
“Man, look at this crowd, I love the fans,’’ a smiling Hill said, looking toward the loud and enthusiastic grandstands. “What a car. Man, RCR has been working their ever-loving tails off to give me a car that will race really fast.’’
Pole: Ty Gibbs
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Next Race: The Xfinity Series will return on Saturday, July 16 2:30 PM ET for the Crayon 200 at New Hampshire Motor Speedway.
NASCAR Trucks
Parker Kligerman holds off Zane Smith Mid-Ohio
Parker Kligerman may be a popular television race commentator but the 31-year-old Connecticut driver reminded the NASCAR world that he is first a race car driver, winning Saturday’s inaugural O’Reilly Auto Parts 150 at the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course in a highly spirited closing-laps battle with Zane Smith.
Ultimately, Kligerman held off the three-time race winner Smith – the two crossing the line in close formation with Kligerman’s No. 75 Henderson Racing Chevrolet taking a .119-second margin of victory in a race that concluded with all the drama expected of a road course event.
“It’s just unbelievable when you put a talented group of humans together, what they achieve,’’ Kligerman said of his Henderson Racing team, which employs only one full-time crew member. “And we’re doing this on absolutely a fraction of the trucks we run against.
“This is a small team that ‘could,’ but we’re not a small team that doesn’t win,’’ Kligerman shouted, turning toward the crowd. “We win.”
Pole: Corey Heim
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Next Race: The Truck Series will return on Saturday, July 23 for the CMC Brakeleen 150 at Pocono Raceway.
ARCA
Taylor Gray Perseveres to Win Wild Dawn 150
For the vast majority of Friday evening’s Dawn 150 at the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course, Taylor Gray was not in contention for the victory.
Then late-race chaos changed everything about the ninth ARCA Menards Series event of the season.
Driving the No. 17 Ford Performance Ford for David Gilliland Racing, Gray moved Kris Wright out of the lead coming to two laps to go at the 13-turn, 2.258-mile road course. Armed with fresh tires, the 17-year-old Gray after that pass for the lead coasted to his second ARCA Menards Series victory.
“First of all I want to say sorry to Kris,” Gray said. “I didn’t want to race him like that; I wanted to race him clean. He bobbled getting into [Turn] 12, and I took the bottom, and it’s just so slick down there I lost the front and doored him.
“But we got the win. That’s all that matters.”
Pole: John Hunter Nemechek
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Next Race: The ARCA Series will return on Friday, July 22 for the General Tire Delivers 200 at Pocono Raceway.
Superstar Racing Experience
Bobby Labonte Scores His First SRX Series Win
Bobby Labonte scored his first Camping World SRX Series win on Saturday night at the Nashville Fairgrounds. Labonte finished Heat 1 in the third position followed by a fourth-place finish in Heat 2.
For the 75-lap Main Event, Labonte started from the pole position and following a late-race caution, held off a hard charging Marco Andretti and Matt Kenseth to earn the win. Prior to Saturday night, Labonte’s best SRX finish was last season at Lucas Oil Raceway where he finished second to Ernie Francis Jr. This season his best finish was third at South Boston Speedway.
“First and foremost, I’ve got to thank the fans for being here tonight and then also, these guys on this SRX group, all these men and women, you won’t believe how hard they work to get these cars to the race track week in and week out.” Bobby Labonte.
Pole: Josef Newgarden
Race Results
Next Race: The SRX Series will return on Saturday, July 16 for the SRX Event at I-55 Raceway.
source: NASCAR Media
