Dale Earnhardt, Jr. drives back to the garage area during Saturday’s NASCAR Sprint Cup Series final practice session at Atlanta Motor Speedway. Photo by Brandon Reed
At a race track that worked hard all weekend to identify itself as “Classic Southern”, fans were treated to a race that had all the look of a classic, old style southern stock car race.
Atlanta Motor Speedway hosted the first race with NASCAR’s new low downforce aero package for the Sprint Cup Series with Sunday’s Folds of Honor QuikTrip 500, and the result was a race that looked right out of the days of bias ply tires and tiny rear spoilers.
The race saw drivers able to charge, but then drop back after their tires had worn. It saw cars slipping and sliding around the 1.5 mile speedway, as many drivers had to fight their way back up into the field.
“I loved it,” said second place finisher Dale Earnhardt, Jr. “We were sliding around and driving the hell out of the car. I had a blast. I had some good races there on the track with the No. 2 (Brad Keselowski) and the No. 18 (Kyle Busch) and a bunch of guys. Man, it was so much fun. And I post old pictures online all the time of the ‘80’s and ‘90’s and that’s when racing was racing. That’s when it was good. That’s what they saw today.”
For race winner Jimmie Johnson, the new package seems to fit his driving style better than those of recent years.
“I think that ’14 and ’15 the rules package didn’t suit my style as much,” he said “We still found ways to win, but I think I had a hard time sensing the grip level of the car and knowing how to get that last tenth or two out of it. My background in racing on the dirt, I think really lends to this package, and certainly at a track like Atlanta today and how much tire wear we have lends to my background.
“For me directionally I love the direction things are going in and would love to see more.”
Fifth place finisher Carl Edwards, a longtime proponent for the aero package, felt NASCAR could take more downforce away.
“This is real racing,” said Edwards. “We’re driving hard. You can see the guys out here just digging for everything they’re worth. I’m worn out. That’s a tough race and just a lot of fun. I just can’t thank NASCAR enough and Atlanta – don’t ever pave this place – it’s a perfect race track. I hope the fans enjoyed the show. The thing is, just know that in that car we’re driving as hard as we can.”
Ninth place finisher Brad Keselowski echoed those sentiments.
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Elliott Finishes Eighth In Atlanta Cup Debut
After failing to make it out of the first round of qualifying on Friday, Chase Elliott rebounded on Sunday to finish in eighth place.
After starting 24th on the field, the Dawsonville, Georgia driver worked his way up steadily through the field, and by the time the race reached the halfway mark, he was contending for a top 10 position.
All the while, the 20-year-old was contending with something he had not dealt with before, as the race ran 210 laps before the first caution came out.
“Yeah, that was crazy man,” Elliott said. “That was by far the longest green-flag run I’ve ever been a part of. I’m definitely going to sleep good tonight for sure.”
Elliott talked about how grueling the long run was.
“I’m worn out. That is as tired as I have been in a long time racing these cars. That was a long day.”
His eighth place finish made him the highest finishing rookie driver. Elliott gave a lot of credit to his crew.
“I felt like on pit road, everything, Alan (Gustafson, crew chief) made good adjustments, the race went smooth. Obviously, not a lot of restarts, so a lot of it was green flag runs, which was different. That is something that you don’t see a ton of. Like I said, just happy that we finished today and that is a first for the year. Better than last week.”
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