‘Selfish’ Chase Elliott Reveals Why He Is a Huge Fan of Racing at Atlanta Motor Speedway

Chase Elliott was primarily celebrated for his ability on road courses before the Next Gen era. The Hendrick Motorsports regular sits third on the list of drivers with the most wins while turning left and right, standing at seven, right behind Tony Stewart and Jeff Gordon.

However, in 2025, instead of road courses, he prefers Atlanta Motor Speedway. This is not only because of its proximity to his hometown of Dawsonville, Georgia, but also because the recent updates and reconfigurations made between 2021 and 2022 completely changed the venue’s racing style.

Ahead of the upcoming race at Atlanta, Elliott shared his enthusiasm for his return to the track, stating, “It is my home track. I always look forward to racing there.”

“I think they have successfully created a lot of chatter, you know, down there around the racetrack and around the events. I think that their investment has ultimately paid off. Selfishly, I think it’s great that they have two races because I don’t have to go as far to go to the track, which is great,” he joked.

However, he further elaborated, “In all seriousness, I do think that it is a good thing (that they have two races), and it’s resulted in some great finishes for our sport.”

Elliott also expressed his association with the NASCAR track, commenting that it often brings about nostalgic encounters with locals who recall last year’s close finish involving Daniel Suarez, Ryan Blaney, and Kyle Busch, which was celebrated as one of NASCAR’s closest finishes.

He hopes to maintain the high-quality racing that has characterized recent events at the venue. Statistically, Elliott’s record at the track includes an average finish of 11.5 across 12 starts, highlighted by a victory in 2022, two top-5 finishes, and eight top-10 placements.

During last year’s Ambetter Health 400, the #9 Chevrolet Camaro driver, starting from P28, managed to climb only as high as P15. However, in the autumn race at the same venue, he finished the race in the top 10 after starting from P16.

Given his track record of improved performances in the season’s second race at the venue, it will be intriguing to see if he can recapture the momentum he demonstrated at Atlanta between 2016 and 2018 this weekend.

The 2025 Ambetter Health 400 will go live on Sunday, February 23, 2025, at 3:00 pm ET. With the green flag waving shortly after pre-race proceedings, it will be interesting to see which drivers adapt best to the track’s peculiar layout and racing style akin to a superspeedway, despite it only being as long an intermediate track.

About the author

Neha Dwivedi

Neha Dwivedi is an experienced NASCAR Journalist at The SportsRush, having penned over 5500 articles on the sport to date. She was a seasoned writer long before she got into the world of NASCAR. Although she loves to see Martin Truex Jr. and Kyle Busch win the races, she equally supports the emerging talents in the CARS Late Model and ARCA Menards Series.. For her work in NASCAR she has earned accolades from journalists like Susan Wade of The Athletic, as well as NASCAR drivers including Thad Moffit and Corey Lajoie. Her favorite moment from NASCAR was witnessing Kyle Busch and Martin Truex Jr. win the championship trophies. Outside the racetrack world, Neha immerses herself in the literary world, exploring both fiction and non-fiction.

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