Atlanta win elusive for Hendrick team
Kyle Larson and
Chase Elliott have extra motivation to extend Hendrick Motorsports’ hot streak to Atlanta Motor Speedway.
Larson’s four wins this season lead NASCAR’s top series. Elliott is the defending Cup champion and carries momentum from last week’s victory at Road America, the seventh win in eight races for the powerful four-car team that also includes William Byron and Alex Bowman.
But chasing a victory at Atlanta has proved elusive.
Larson led 269 of 325 laps and won the first two stages in Atlanta in March before fading late on old tires as Ryan Blaney took an improbable win.
Larson watched video of that race this week, hoping to avoid another heartbreaking letdown.
“I learned a lot in the moment,” Larson said. “I think there’s even more I can learn re-watching it. … You learn from everything, the good races, and you definitely learn from the races you feel like you gave away. So there’s definitely a lot to be learned.”
Elliott, from Dawsonville, Georgia, has never won in six tries on his home track. The spring race was especially frustrating as engine problems left him 38th.
Elliott clinched a playoff berth with his second win of the season last week. A first win in Atlanta, where his father, NASCAR Hall of Famer Bill Elliott, was a five-time champion, would be special.
“I don’t know that I feel more pressure, but I certainly want to do good,” Chase Elliott said. “I feel that everybody who has a home track or a place that’s close to them, you always want to do good there, and it’s just been a place I haven’t done all that great at.”
Elliott will start on the pole, beside Kyle Busch. The starting lineup was set based on last week’s finish. Larson will start sixth.
Blaney is still looking for a second 2021 win. He believes his return to Atlanta provides a good measuring stick for his Penske team.
“I think this weekend will be a really good idea to see where we stack up, going back to a place where we won,” Blaney said, adding “I think we’ll be good.”
Larson is the 13-5 favorite, according to FanDuel Sportsbook. Kyle Busch is at 17-2 and Elliott 10-1.
XFINITY SERIES
Kyle Busch completed a 5-for-5 sweep of what might be his final season in the Xfinity Series with a late recovery at Atlanta Motor Speedway on Saturday.
Busch finished 0.550 seconds ahead of Jeb Burton for his 102nd Xfinity victory and 222nd overall in NASCAR’s three national series.
Busch took the lead after pushing Daniel Hemric on a restart with six laps remaining. Busch appeared to be trying to give Hemric, his Joe Gibbs Racing teammate, a helpful push on the restart but instead Hemric lost control and hit the wall.
“I just wanted to hit him forward and straight but turned him sideways a little bit,” Busch said, adding the incident made the victory “a little somber.”
Busch has hinted that this might be his final season in Xfinity. He repeated that plan Saturday, saying he didn’t plan to return to Xfinity “as far as what’s going to happen right now.”
Busch added “Never say never, but this is it.”
Busch won the first two stages in Atlanta before needing to reclaim the lead following a final restart.
One week after Hemric had a runner-up finish to Busch, he was on the verge of his first career win before spinning on a restart when pushed by Busch with six laps remaining.