The inaugural race in Chicago was anything but mundane. With all the hits, blockages, and penalties, the Cup Series drivers delivered impeccable results. But as all good things must come to an end, it is time to look forward to the Quaker State 400 at Atlanta Motor Speedway on Sunday, July 10.

NASCAR, this weekend, returns to the city of Atlanta after its spring session. The tracks of the speedway that had undergone a transformation and were repaved flaunt high banking, and the revamped asphalt is more conducive to racing than seen on the tracks of Talladega and Daytona. They are prepared for another thrilling race this season.

Amidst all the structural integration to make the race more intriguing, one doubt has plagued the minds of every NASCAR fan: will the most popular driver of the Cup Series be able to break his winless streak and finally enter the Playoffs, or will the defending champion Joey Logano be his Achilles Heel?

Sunday race is to be an ultimate test for Joey Logano, as he defends his crown

Very few drivers on the track in the ongoing season of the Cup Series are as desperate for a victory as Chase Elliott is. The 2023 season has been unyielding for the poster boy of NASCAR, as he has yet to score a victory in the season. His desperation was evident to crew chief Darian Grubb back in Chicago. He was heard speaking to SVG, “The two cars behind you are desperate for a win, so just be prepared for that.” Nevertheless, the driver is ready to gamble all his luck and prowess as a driver as the race enters his hometown. With the uncertainty that looms over his playoff opportunity, Elliott enters Sunday’s race from the back of the grid after a grim qualifying.

Speaking of which, it was the drivers from Ford Performance that were absolutely invincible as they dominated the tracks of Atlanta during the qualifiers and grabbed eight out of the top 10 positions for the main sprint on Sunday. While Aric Almirola clinched the pole position, the defending victor of spring’s Atlanta race, Joey Logano, sits in the second row, fourth in position.

The race at Atlanta Speedway holds a pivotal position for Team Penske’s Joey Logano, as he finally achieved his first victory on the track at the beginning of the season after trying 18 times. And the closest he has been to the chequered was when he finished 2nd back in 2013, when his team had yet to be rebranded. The victory was surely precious to the defending champion, as he expressed his emotion to Fox Media, “First off, this is a special win at Atlanta for me. So many memories of me and my Dad racing on the quarter mile, and this is full circle for us.”

“So many memories gritting over there with the legends cars, racing and having a big time. Dreaming of going straight from the quarter mile and going on to the big track. To finally win here means so much to me personally. This AutoTrader Mustang was an animal. It was very fast and was able to lead a lot of laps. Huge victory, a great day for us,” Logano exclaimed ecstatically.

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Chase Elliott to guard off his Playoff opportunity on home ground

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With the performance shown by the Ford drivers, it is evident that Logano will try his best to make the victory a complete circle and make the upcoming race worthwhile. But Logano’s victory could be Elliott’s worst nightmare. This will completely crush the hopes of the No. 9 Chevrolet Camaro driver to enter the playoffs for the seventh consecutive time since he upgraded to the elite format back in 2016.

Chase Elliott’s injury and suspension had added to Elliott’s woes and his future in the postseason. Moreover, after qualifying 23rd, the Hendrick Motorsports driver has more reason to add to his cause of self-doubt. The driver who stands 24th in the points standings can ensure a playoff berth by earning points through top-5 finishes, but the ultimate solution to all the problems is a victory.

Comparing the performance from the past year, where the driver had been on a roll, Elliott in a pre-race conference, expressed, “And I think a lot changed really last fall. When we started running not as good there in the fall, I think personally, the setups and just the direction that the garage area went in was a pretty large departure from what we had success with through the early stages of the season and through those summer months.”

But Elliott believes, there is a silver lining as he optimistically affirmed, “I feel like the good news is we’ve been trending in a good direction. And I feel like the areas that I’ve struggled in, I’ve made a little progress over the last month or so. And we’ve had some solid runs at tracks that I was expecting to remind me more of our struggles last year.”

The No. 9 Chevrolet driver had already tasted victory on the tracks of Atlanta in 2022 after he outlasted the No. 7 Chevrolet Camaro driver, Corey LaJoie. With two Cup Series champions and both victors of the same track, the battle between Joey Logano and Chase Elliott will be interesting to watch. While one defends his victory, the other will try to make the most of it on his home track, NASCAR’s upcoming event is going to be bewitching.

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