NASCAR: Quaker State 400 Preview
7th July 2022NASCAR Cup Series will descend on the Atlanta Motor Speedway this weekend, for the second time this season, for the Quaker State 400.
The Atlanta Motor Speedway is the stage and the Georgian-state is the backdrop. NASCAR will return to the AMS for the second time this season after they completed the Folds of Honor QuikTrip 500 earlier this year.
The race will consist of 36-drivers going around the 1.54-mile oval-shaped circuit for 260 laps in high-speed, adrenaline-pumping fashion.
Chase Elliot currently stands as the man to beat, in the standings, as the Hendrick Motorsports driver occupies with 624 points to his name. Elliot’s closest rival is Truckhouse Racing’s Ross Chastain, in second-place, with 589 points.
Chase-ing the dream
Besides the poor pun, Elliot will look to extend his championship lead and secure his second championship this season. In the previous event, at Road America, two weeks ago, the leader missed out on the chance to secure a second-consecutive race victory.
The Hendrick driver secured his last win at Nashville, on June 26, and followed by securing pole position at Road America.
However, the win slipped from Elliot’s grasp as Tyler Reddick became the 13th different winner in 2022 and secured his maiden Cup Series win by just over three seconds.
With a 35-point lead in the championship to his closest rival, Chastain, Elliot will want to regain some lost ground in Atlanta this weekend to tighten his grip around the NASCAR Cup Series championship.
But, with 17 rounds still to go (including the Quaker State 400), there are still plenty of opportunities for the one-time championship winner to extend, or lose, his lead.
Last time out in Atlanta
The last time NASCAR came to the Atlanta Motor Speedway it was for the Folds of Honor QuikTrip 500, back in March.
In usual fashion it was a fairly routine start, led by Stewart-Haas Racing’s Chase Briscoe and Team Penske’s Ryan Blaney who were bumper drafted by the likes of Joe Gibb Racing’s Kyle Busch and Penske’s Joey Logano, just behind them.
The first caution was soon waved as Kaulig Racing’s Noah Gragson spun out early on. The American driver lost rear grip mid-corner and collided with the barrier, head on, before he finally stopped on the apron.
Carnage quickly ensued in the pit lane as every car arrived down pit road, after the first caution. Stewart-Haas Racing’s Aric Almirola collided with Petty GMS Motorsports’ Erik Jones as the number 10 GMS dived into his box. This caused the GMS driver to suddenly spin, head-first, towards the barrier. Fortunately, Jones was able to reverse and enter his pit box.
Chastain, who drove for Advent Health Chevrolet at the time, was leading the race after the first caution but soon found himself in the wall at turn two rear-first which result in a puncture for his rear-right tyre. However, the Advent driver managed to work his way back up to second place by the end.
In the end, the race ended in fairly dramatic fashion as Liberty Universiy Chevrolet’s William Bryon crossed the finish line to win the race. A bit further back, as the front runners crossed the line, ITsavvy Ford’s Chris Buescher made contact with the right-front bumper of Leaf Filter Gutter Protection Chevrolet’s Justin Haley.
As the two drivers tried to regain their respective cars, Buescher was forced below the apron and quickly spun out into the wall as he tried to rejoin the track. Fortunately, the ITsavvy Ford was missed any futher contact with the trailing pack.
On the other hand, Haley quickly veered to the right – and into the barrier. However, he wasn’t able to avoid contact with McDonald’s Toyota of Bubba Wallace who was squeezed into the barrier with Haley.
When is it & how can I watch it?
The race will take place on July 10 at 3pm Eastern Daylight Time, which converts to 8pm British Summer Time – for British motorsport fans.
On Saturday, July 9, qualifying will start at 11:35am EDT / 4:35pm BST, while the race – on Sunday – will commence at 3pm EDT / 8pm BST.
US NASCAR fans will be able to watch the qualifying session and main event on the likes of USA Network and on the USA Network App.
While on the other side of the Atlantic, In the United Kingdom, fans who would like to watch the race unfold will only be able to watch it if they have a Premier Sports subscription.
That’s all for the article: NASCAR: Quaker State 400 Preview! What are you looking forward to in the latest NASCAR race? Let us know in the comments!
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Hi, I’m Kamron. I created ApexMotorsports.co.uk in the dying embers of the 2021 Formula 1 world championship. It allowed me freedom to write whatever I wanted to write about which was all things motorsports, my passion.
I have put a lot of effort in over the years to keep this website in its best shape and I’ve loved seeing the brand grow consistently, month-on-month, year-on-year. My ambition is to keep watching this brand grow into a primary outlet of news for all things motorsports whilst fueling my desire to pursue a career in sports journalism, specialising in motorsports.
Kamron Kent
Hi, I'm Kamron. I created ApexMotorsports.co.uk in the dying embers of the 2021 Formula 1 world championship. It allowed me freedom to write whatever I wanted to write about which was all things motorsports, my passion. I have put a lot of effort in over the years to keep this website in its best shape and I've loved seeing the brand grow consistently, month-on-month, year-on-year. My ambition is to keep watching this brand grow into a primary outlet of news for all things motorsports whilst fueling my desire to pursue a career in sports journalism, specialising in motorsports.
