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Elliott is in position to contend for 2nd NASCAR title following ‘surreal’ last-lap win in Atlanta

By CHARLES ODUM HAMPTON, Ga. (AP) — Chase Elliott couldn’t have picked a better setting for a drought-breaking win. Fans roared in approval after Elliott, the home-state favorite, passed Brad Keselowski on the final lap to end a 44-race drought by winning the NASCAR Cup Series at Atlanta on Saturday night. Elliott’s 20th career victory […]

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By CHARLES ODUM

HAMPTON, Ga. (AP) — Chase Elliott couldn’t have picked a better setting for a drought-breaking win.

Fans roared in approval after Elliott, the home-state favorite, passed Brad Keselowski on the final lap to end a 44-race drought by winning the NASCAR Cup Series at Atlanta on Saturday night.

Elliott’s 20th career victory pushed him to second place in the Cup Series points race, putting him in prime position to return to the top of the NASCAR world after winning his first championship in 2020.

Elliott earned a spot in the NASCAR playoffs with his first victory since April 2024 at Texas. He said he’ll always remember the win as a career highlight, in part because of the ovation from fans who chanted “Chase! Chase! Chase!”

Elliott, a Dawsonville, Georgia, native, climbed into the stands at EchoPark Speedway, formerly Atlanta Motor Speedway, to celebrate with the fans.

“It was, truthfully, a pretty surreal moment,” Elliott said. “Something I’ll remember for the rest of my life. … Saturday night under the lights, been a while since we won, just getting ourselves a win and advancing up on the playoff thing.”

It was his first Atlanta win since 2022.

Elliott has 594 points, 37 behind Hendrick Motorsports teammate William Byron, who has 631. A third Hendrick Motorsports driver, Kyle Larson, is third.

Another Hendrick driver, Alex Bowman, played a key role in Elliott’s comeback win. Bowman, who finished third, gave Elliott a push and then helped block Keselowski on the final lap.

“I’m happy for the 9 team,” Bowman said. “It’s a big win for him in his hometown. … I’m glad to have a Hendrick car in victory lane. I wish it was us.”

Elliott said he’ll try to repay the favor by helping Bowman join the other three Hendrick drivers in the playoffs.

“I recognize that he gave me a great shove,” Elliott said. “I recognize that he took his run on Brad, too, to try to get himself to second, which ultimately helped me as well.

“Yeah, those are all things that I remember.”

Elliott advanced to the second round of NASCAR’s new In-Season Challenge, a five-race, bracket-style tournament. With the field cut from 32 to 16 drivers, Elliott will be paired against John Hunter Nemechek when the Cup Series moves to the Chicago Street Race next Sunday.

A $1 million prize awaits the winner, and Elliott’s odds improved after Atlanta wrecks knocked out the top two seeds, Denny Hamlin and Chase Briscoe.

Elliott wouldn’t be the first family member to win a $1 million bonus. In 1985 his father, Bill Elliott, became the first winner of the Winston Million as a reward for claiming wins in three of the circuit’s top four races at the time. The bonus earned the elder Elliott the nickname “Million Dollar Bill.”

Now the younger Elliott is a strong contender to become first in line for another $1 million prize.

“It’d be a really cool thing to win for sure and hope it works out that way,” Chase Elliott said.

Elliott’s victory drought came after he needed surgery to repair a broken tibia in his left leg suffered in a snowboarding accident and missed six races in 2023. He said the support of longtime crew chief Alan Gustafson was “in large part” responsible for helping him retain his confidence and reclaim his winning form.

Gustafson said the win was more important for the 2025 playoff race than for ending the victory drought.

“The points were getting tight for the playoffs, for sure,” Gustafson said. “I think that’s probably the biggest thing. I think all the cars contending to win, I don’t think any of them had won. I think that’s probably the biggest thing we needed was that cushion.”

Saturday night’s win was Elliott’s third consecutive top-five finish.

“When you’re fortunate enough to climb the mountain and be able to stand at the top of the mountain with someone, that’s an incredible achievement, right?” Elliott said. “That’s something that (Gustafson) and I will always cherish and remember that we did that together.

“For me it’s really, really important to climb that mountain with the same people that we did the first time and know that we never quit on each other. That’s just a really important piece of the puzzle for me.”

___

AP auto racing: https://apnews.com/hub/auto-racing





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NASCAR’s Stewart Friesen injured in fiery Canada crash

Friesen will need surgery to fix his pelvis, which was broken in multiple places, and his fractured leg after his car flipped multiple times and caught fire. WASHINGTON — NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series driver Stewart Friesen suffered multiple injuries to his pelvis and leg during a dirt modified racing crash Monday in Canada.  Video of […]

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Friesen will need surgery to fix his pelvis, which was broken in multiple places, and his fractured leg after his car flipped multiple times and caught fire.

WASHINGTON — NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series driver Stewart Friesen suffered multiple injuries to his pelvis and leg during a dirt modified racing crash Monday in Canada. 

Video of the incident, which was being streamed live, shows the fiery crash out during the King Of The North race at Autodrome Drummond in Quebec. 

Friesen’s car appears to drift wide around a turn, striking the sidewall around the track. His vehicle flew into the air, tumbling multiple times before coming back down in a fireball. As it continued rolling down the track, less than a second later it was struck by at least one other vehicle coming down the track behind him, igniting more flame and sending debris out over the dirt. 

According to a post on X, formerly known as Twitter, by Friesen’s wife Jess, he is in the hospital with severe injuries. 

“Stewart has suffered an unstable/open-book pelvic fracture, meaning his pelvis is broken in two or more places, with a large hematoma on the area,” Jess Friesen wrote. “CT scans have come back clear of any head, neck or spine injuries. Unfortunately, he is still in a tremendous amount of pain.” 

She said her husband also suffered a fractured right leg in the crash. 

Both the pelvis and leg breaks will require surgery, but as of Tuesday he is “in better spirits and resting” after he was transferred to a larger hospital for the procedures, Jess Friesen said. 

Three days before the crash, Friesen competed in his 200th Craftsman Truck Series race, according to NASCAR.com. 

What kind of vehicle was Friesen driving?

Dirt car racers are highly modified vehicles designed specifically for the rough terrain of a dirt track. They come in various classes and characteristics, but the most common type of dirt car is called a modified. 

The cars are blocky, with metal paneling wrapped around cage bars, and sit low to the ground on open wheels, with a body similar to a dune buggy. 

During races, modifieds hit speeds of around 75 mph going around corners and 90 mph on straightaways. 



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NASCAR’s Stewart Friesen injured in fiery Canada crash

Friesen will need surgery to fix his pelvis, which was broken in multiple places, and his fractured leg after his car flipped multiple times and caught fire. WASHINGTON — NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series driver Stewart Friesen suffered multiple injuries to his pelvis and leg during a dirt modified racing crash Monday in Canada.  Video of […]

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Friesen will need surgery to fix his pelvis, which was broken in multiple places, and his fractured leg after his car flipped multiple times and caught fire.

WASHINGTON — NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series driver Stewart Friesen suffered multiple injuries to his pelvis and leg during a dirt modified racing crash Monday in Canada. 

Video of the incident, which was being streamed live, shows the fiery crash out during the King Of The North race at Autodrome Drummond in Quebec. 

Friesen’s car appears to drift wide around a turn, striking the sidewall around the track. His vehicle flew into the air, tumbling multiple times before coming back down in a fireball. As it continued rolling down the track, less than a second later it was struck by at least one other vehicle coming down the track behind him, igniting more flame and sending debris out over the dirt. 

According to a post on X, formerly known as Twitter, by Friesen’s wife Jess, he is in the hospital with severe injuries. 

“Stewart has suffered an unstable/open-book pelvic fracture, meaning his pelvis is broken in two or more places, with a large hematoma on the area,” Jess Friesen wrote. “CT scans have come back clear of any head, neck or spine injuries. Unfortunately, he is still in a tremendous amount of pain.” 

She said her husband also suffered a fractured right leg in the crash. 

Both the pelvis and leg breaks will require surgery, but as of Tuesday he is “in better spirits and resting” after he was transferred to a larger hospital for the procedures, Jess Friesen said. 

Three days before the crash, Friesen competed in his 200th Craftsman Truck Series race, according to NASCAR.com. 

What kind of vehicle was Friesen driving?

Dirt car racers are highly modified vehicles designed specifically for the rough terrain of a dirt track. They come in various classes and characteristics, but the most common type of dirt car is called a modified. 

The cars are blocky, with metal paneling wrapped around cage bars, and sit low to the ground on open wheels, with a body similar to a dune buggy. 

During races, modifieds hit speeds of around 75 mph going around corners and 90 mph on straightaways. 



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Viewership numbers from Saturday’s NASCAR race on WISH-TV – Indianapolis News | Indiana Weather | Indiana Traffic

INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — Saturday will be a day that NASCAR driver Connor Zilisch will never forget. The NASCAR Xfinity Series driver for JR Motorsports won the Pennzoil 250 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. “This is awesome,” Zilisch said in an IMS news release. “Those bricks look really kissable, and I’m ready to kiss them. Winning at […]

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INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — Saturday will be a day that NASCAR driver Connor Zilisch will never forget.

The NASCAR Xfinity Series driver for JR Motorsports won the Pennzoil 250 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

“This is awesome,” Zilisch said in an IMS news release. “Those bricks look really kissable, and I’m ready to kiss them. Winning at Indy is awesome and getting 100 wins for JRM is pretty cool, too, so I consider this a pretty awesome day.”

It was his third straight win in the Xfinity Series, following victories at Dover and Sonoma.

The race aired on live on WISH-TV and the numbers are in. According to a post on X, formally known as Twitter, by The CW Sports:

  • Viewership was up +23% compared to last year’s 21st race from Michigan (which aired on USA)
  • Audience grew +6% over last week’s race from Dover
  • Viewership peaked at 1,333,000 total viewers from 7:15 – 7:30 p.m. EDT

Overall, the event had 1,108,000 viewers according to the post.

Zilisch actually spoke with News 8’s Cody Adams earlier this year on Life.Style.Live! ahead of the Xfinity Series’ race in Mexico. Click here to watch their full conversation.

The next NASCAR Xfinity Series race will be at Iowa Speedway on Saturday. The HyVee Perks 250 will begin at 4:30 p.m. EDT and can be seen live on WISH-TV. It will be one of five races remaining for the series before the Xfinity Series playoffs begin.

The following are the remaining races remaining ahead of the playoffs:

  • Saturday, Aug. 2 – Iowa Speedway
  • Saturday, Aug. 9 – Watkins Glen International
  • Friday, Aug. 22 – Daytona International Speedway
  • Saturday, Aug. 30 – Portland International Raceway
  • Saturday, Sept. 6 – World Wide Technology Raceway

The playoffs begin on Friday, Sept. 12 at Bristol Motor Speedway.

Justin Allgaier leads the Xfinity Series standings by 21 points over Zilisch, although Zilisch has won five times this season compared to Allgaier’s three victories.

To re-watch Saturday’s Pennzoil 250 at IMS, click here.



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NASCAR’s Stewart Friesen injured in fiery Canada crash

Friesen will need surgery to fix his pelvis, which was broken in multiple places, and his fractured leg after his car flipped multiple times and caught fire. WASHINGTON — NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series driver Stewart Friesen suffered multiple injuries to his pelvis and leg during a dirt modified racing crash Monday in Canada.  Video of […]

Published

on


Friesen will need surgery to fix his pelvis, which was broken in multiple places, and his fractured leg after his car flipped multiple times and caught fire.

WASHINGTON — NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series driver Stewart Friesen suffered multiple injuries to his pelvis and leg during a dirt modified racing crash Monday in Canada. 

Video of the incident, which was being streamed live, shows the fiery crash out during the King Of The North race at Autodrome Drummond in Quebec. 

Friesen’s car appears to drift wide around a turn, striking the sidewall around the track. His vehicle flew into the air, tumbling multiple times before coming back down in a fireball. As it continued rolling down the track, less than a second later it was struck by at least one other vehicle coming down the track behind him, igniting more flame and sending debris out over the dirt. 

According to a post on X, formerly known as Twitter, by Friesen’s wife Jess, he is in the hospital with severe injuries. 

“Stewart has suffered an unstable/open-book pelvic fracture, meaning his pelvis is broken in two or more places, with a large hematoma on the area,” Jess Friesen wrote. “CT scans have come back clear of any head, neck or spine injuries. Unfortunately, he is still in a tremendous amount of pain.” 

She said her husband also suffered a fractured right leg in the crash. 

Both the pelvis and leg breaks will require surgery, but as of Tuesday he is “in better spirits and resting” after he was transferred to a larger hospital for the procedures, Jess Friesen said. 

Three days before the crash, Friesen competed in his 200th Craftsman Truck Series race, according to NASCAR.com. 

What kind of vehicle was Friesen driving?

Dirt car racers are highly modified vehicles designed specifically for the rough terrain of a dirt track. They come in various classes and characteristics, but the most common type of dirt car is called a modified. 

The cars are blocky, with metal paneling wrapped around cage bars, and sit low to the ground on open wheels, with a body similar to a dune buggy. 

During races, modifieds hit speeds of around 75 mph going around corners and 90 mph on straightaways. 



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NASCAR suspends Austin Hill one race for wrecking Aric Almirola at Indy

NASCAR suspended Austin Hill one race for intentionally wrecking Aric Almirola in last weekend’s Xfinity Series race at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Hill will not compete in Saturday’s race at Iowa Speedway. Richard Childress Racing stated it would not appeal Hill’s penalty. Austin Dillon will drive Hill’s car at Iowa. A playoff waiver will have to […]

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NASCAR suspended Austin Hill one race for intentionally wrecking Aric Almirola in last weekend’s Xfinity Series race at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

Hill will not compete in Saturday’s race at Iowa Speedway. Richard Childress Racing stated it would not appeal Hill’s penalty. Austin Dillon will drive Hill’s car at Iowa.

A playoff waiver will have to be requested for Hill to maintain his playoff eligibility, but he will lose all the playoff points he’s earned and any playoff points he scores in the final five races of the regular season.

With the waiver, Hill will be last in points with 2,000 entering the first round of the playoffs.

Hill had scored 21 playoff points — behind only Connor Zilisch (29 playoff points) and Justin Allgaier (21) — this season. Hill has three wins and six stage wins.

NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series SpeedyCash.com 250

Stewart Friesen will require surgery after his crash Monday night.

The incident between Hill and Almirola unfolded late in the Xfinity race last weekend.

Almirola got to the rear of Hill’s car and got him loose as they raced for fourth with 10 laps left in last weekend’s race at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. The back end of Hill’s car slid out but he corrected the slide and straightened the car as Almirola moved underneath him. Hill’s car then had contact with the right rear of Almirola’s car, sending into the SAFER barrier nose-first.

“That was violent,” Almirola said of the crash. “To be totally honest, that was one of the hardest hits I’ve taken in my NASCAR career. The impact felt very similar to when I broke my back (in 2017 at Kansas Speedway). I’d be very interested to see the black box data from (Saturday’s) crash, but it was vicious and that’s just uncalled for.

“I got him a little bit loose to get under him because it was time to go. I would have never done that five laps into the race, but when you’re coming down to the end of the race at Indianapolis and he’s already blocked me three times, I certainly got him loose.

“I didn’t feel what he did was necessary. I felt like he could have easily fell back in line. He was damaged anyway. We were losing time to the leaders. It wasn’t like we were on pace with them. He was holding me up clearly.

“It’s just unfortunate. He obviously lost his mind right there. That was really bad judgment in my opinion.”

NASCAR penalized Hill five laps his contact with Almirola.

NASCAR Cup Series The Great American Getaway 400 - Qualifying

Chase Elliott leads the points but the next three drivers in the standings are within 20 points with four races left in the regular season.

Hill said on the team’s radio after the incident: “I couldn’t hang on to it. I was not trying to right rear him. He had me out of control. I was like jerk back to the left to keep it off the wall. I’m not sure what the hell he thought just running me over in (Turn) 3, though.”

After being told on the radio he was being held five laps for reckless driving, Hill directed multiple expletives to NASCAR.

Asked if Hill should be suspended, car owner Richard Childress said: “Hell, no. They didn’t do a damn thing to the No. 2 car (Austin Cindric). He wrecked Ty (Dillon) and admitted to it, drove him in the right rear and wrecked him at COTA. It’s who you are. We’re a blue-collar team. They give us trouble all the time.”

NASCAR did not penalize Cindric during the race for wrecking Dillon at COTA, but series officials docked Cindric 50 points and fined him $50,000 a few days later after reviewing the incident.





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NASCAR’s Stewart Friesen injured in fiery Canada crash

Friesen will need surgery to fix his pelvis, which was broken in multiple places, and his fractured leg after his car flipped multiple times and caught fire. WASHINGTON — NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series driver Stewart Friesen suffered multiple injuries to his pelvis and leg during a dirt modified racing crash Monday in Canada.  Video of […]

Published

on


Friesen will need surgery to fix his pelvis, which was broken in multiple places, and his fractured leg after his car flipped multiple times and caught fire.

WASHINGTON — NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series driver Stewart Friesen suffered multiple injuries to his pelvis and leg during a dirt modified racing crash Monday in Canada. 

Video of the incident, which was being streamed live, shows the fiery crash out during the King Of The North race at Autodrome Drummond in Quebec. 

Friesen’s car appears to drift wide around a turn, striking the sidewall around the track. His vehicle flew into the air, tumbling multiple times before coming back down in a fireball. As it continued rolling down the track, less than a second later it was struck by at least one other vehicle coming down the track behind him, igniting more flame and sending debris out over the dirt. 

According to a post on X, formerly known as Twitter, by Friesen’s wife Jess, he is in the hospital with severe injuries. 

“Stewart has suffered an unstable/open-book pelvic fracture, meaning his pelvis is broken in two or more places, with a large hematoma on the area,” Jess Friesen wrote. “CT scans have come back clear of any head, neck or spine injuries. Unfortunately, he is still in a tremendous amount of pain.” 

She said her husband also suffered a fractured right leg in the crash. 

Both the pelvis and leg breaks will require surgery, but as of Tuesday he is “in better spirits and resting” after he was transferred to a larger hospital for the procedures, Jess Friesen said. 

Three days before the crash, Friesen competed in his 200th Craftsman Truck Series race, according to NASCAR.com. 

What kind of vehicle was Friesen driving?

Dirt car racers are highly modified vehicles designed specifically for the rough terrain of a dirt track. They come in various classes and characteristics, but the most common type of dirt car is called a modified. 

The cars are blocky, with metal paneling wrapped around cage bars, and sit low to the ground on open wheels, with a body similar to a dune buggy. 

During races, modifieds hit speeds of around 75 mph going around corners and 90 mph on straightaways. 



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