HAMPTON, Ga. – It had been 44 races since Georgia native Chase Elliott went to victory lane in the NASCAR Cup Series. But that all changed on Saturday night when Elliott took home the checkered flag at the Quaker State 400 at EchoPark Speedway.

The Dawsonville native secured the victory on a last-lap pass over Brad Keselowski. The win marked Elliott’s 20th career Cup Series win and his first at his hometown track.

While the hometown crowd left pleased with the outcome, it did not come without a long journey. Weather delays, red flags, 40-plus lead changes and big wrecks set the tone for what was a thrilling 4.5-hour spectacle.

Team Penske driver Joey Logano led the field to the green flag, where he remained on point for the opening laps of the race. But around 40 laps into the race, the caution flag came out for light rain. This led to a red flag stoppage for 15 minutes as crews dried the track.

The race resumed on Lap 49 with Logano and Penske teammate Austin Cindric taking command of the lead. Eight laps later, top drivers Christopher Bell and Ryan Blaney were eliminated from the race in a seven-car wreck in turn 4, allowing Cindric to win the first stage.

When green flag racing resumed, it only took three turns until the “big one” occurred. 

A 22-car wreck collected many top contending drivers like Denny Hamlin and Ross Chastain, dashing their hopes for a victory. Penske leaders Cindric and Logano were also collected in the crash, resulting in their elimination.

After a red flag period due to the carnage, the race resumed with a quarter of the field out of the race. During stage two, Elliott ascended to the top spot while leading multiple laps. But it was Tyler Reddick who got to the finish line 0.001 seconds ahead of Elliott to win stage two.

The final 100-lap period was plagued with cautions, as Bubba Wallace, Shane van Gisbergen and David Starr brought out the yellow on three separate occasions.

Following the stretch of cautions, Keselowski ascended to the top spot. The driver-owner of Roush Fenway Keselowski Racing looked to snap a winless streak of his own at 40 races since his last visit to victory lane.

The yellow came out once again following a crash by Justin Haley. This reset the field and allowed drivers Keselowski, Alex Bowman and Zane Smith to trade the lead multiple times in the closing laps.

With less than ten to go, Keselowski took charge between laps 255-259. As he took the white flag, it seemed like “Bad Brad” was going to snap the drought.

However, a push from Bowman to Elliott left Keselowski out of the draft and caused the Dawsonville native to drive away for the win.

The thriller at EchoPark Speedway had several implications outside of Elliott’s return to victory lane. It locks in Elliott’s bid to the postseason, who looks to win his second Cup championship after winning his first in 2020.

Saturday’s race also marked the first leg of the brand-new “In-Season Challenge.” The tournament features the top 32 drivers matched up in a single-elimination bracket. 

The big wrecks throughout the race resulted in multiple bracket upsets, with No. 32 seeded Ty Dillon securing a higher finish than No. 1 seeded Hamlin, eliminating the top seed from the tournament. The in-season tournament will conclude at Indianapolis Motor Speedway on July 27.

As for EchoPark Speedway, it is expected that NASCAR will return to the Georgia track during the 2026 NASCAR season. Those race dates will be released at a later date.