NASCAR Star Chase Elliott Seeks Atlanta Redemption After Daytona Heartbreak

Elliott looks to bounce back at his home track after late-race crash cost him Daytona 500 victory.

Feb. 21, 2026 at 6:48pm

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After an emotional and physically draining finish at the Daytona 500, NASCAR star Chase Elliott is back at his home track of Echo Park Speedway in suburban Atlanta, where he has found plenty of success in recent years. The Hendrick Motorsports driver is looking to bounce back from the heartbreak of leading on the final lap at Daytona before crashing out, as he aims to capture his third win at the reconfigured Atlanta track.

Why it matters

Elliott's performance at Atlanta will be closely watched, as he is considered one of the top contenders for this year's NASCAR Cup Series championship under the newly reintroduced Chase format. The high-banked Atlanta oval has become a drafting track similar to Daytona and Talladega, providing an opportunity for Elliott to show his skills in avoiding wrecks and making late-race passes.

The details

Elliott, who lives about 80 miles from the Atlanta track, will have the option to sleep in his own bed this weekend, though he'll still have to deal with the notorious Atlanta traffic. He qualified fourth after qualifying was rained out, putting him behind pole-sitter and Daytona 500 winner Tyler Reddick. Elliott has two wins and a series-best average finish of 9.14 at Atlanta since the track was reconfigured four years ago, leading the fourth-most laps (166) with lead-lap finishes in all of his starts there.

  • The 2026 NASCAR Cup Series season opened with the Daytona 500 on February 15.
  • The Atlanta race is scheduled for this Sunday, February 23, 2026.

The players

Chase Elliott

An eight-time NASCAR Most Popular Driver and driver of the No. 9 Chevrolet for Hendrick Motorsports. He is considered one of the top contenders for the 2026 NASCAR Cup Series championship.

Tyler Reddick

The winner of the 2026 Daytona 500, he will start on the pole for the race at Atlanta.

Alex Bowman

Elliott's Hendrick Motorsports teammate, who provided drafting help to Elliott to help him win at Atlanta last year.

Brad Keselowski

The driver who Elliott edged out on the final lap to win at Atlanta last year.

Bill Elliott

Chase Elliott's Hall of Fame father, who won the Daytona 500 in 1985 and 1987.

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What they’re saying

“Just a huge bummer for sure. Crashing like that, it's never fun, but it's more just processing how close you were to winning. That can be a challenging thing. Fortunately and unfortunately, I have experienced other losses like that. You look back and run through things that you could have done differently, and that I wish I had. Just hope that we get another chance.”

— Chase Elliott (apnews.com)

“Chase Elliott races a little like his personality. He's very respectful. He's levelheaded. He makes a lot of good decisions. He operates at 99% and just chugs along. He'd be the one I'd have circled that the format suits the best.”

— Steve Letarte, NASCAR Analyst (apnews.com)

“When they changed the track, I'd say 80% of drivers were negative. I was part of the 20% I like new challenges, and something new is the sign of an opportunity.”

— Daniel Suarez, Spire Motorsports Driver (apnews.com)

What’s next

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The takeaway

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