Why is Talladega considered Chase Elliott’s second home race? All you need to know about NASCAR star’s connection to the superspeedway

NASCAR driver Chase Elliott is a native of Dawsonville, Georgia. While NASCAR's visits to Atlanta Motor Speedway are considered his home races, the Cup races at Talladega Superspeedway in Alabama have come to be known as his second home owing to his record at the track in recent years, which includes winning 32 Cup series points at Talladega since 2022, the most out of any driver on the track.

Chase Elliott pilots the #9 Chevrolet for Hendrick Motorsports, competing full-time in the Cup Series. In a career spanning 10 years, Elliott has earned 19 Cup Series victories and claimed the 2020 Cup Series championship.

Of Chase Elliott's 19 Cup Series victories, two have come in the YellaWood 500 at Talladega (2019, 2022), where he also boasts 8 top-ten finishes in 17 starts. Elliott also holds the longest active streak of finishing on the lead lap at the 2.66-mile track.

Moreover, his home track, Atlanta Motor Speedway, has seen him secure 1 win and 8 top-ten finishes in 12 races, reinforcing his dominance at both venues.

NASCAR: 2022 YellaWood 500 - Source: Imagn

Following a decent qualifying session, Elliott will start the 2024 Yellawood 500 playoff race just outside the top ten. Elliot secured P11 and will share the sixth row with his Hendrick Motorsports teammate Kyle Larson.

Here's a look at the lineup for the playoff race at Talladega (via Bob Pockrass on X):

Catch Chase Elliott in action at Talladega on October 6 at 2 PM ET, available on NBC Sports, MRN, and SiriusXM NASCAR Channel.

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"It is going to change the entire flow": Chase Elliott on Round of 12 finale at repaved Charlotte Road Course

Charlotte Motor Speedway was recently repaved after the regular season's Coca-Cola 600 crown jewel event. In the 2024 schedule, the newly repaved track in Charlotte will host the finale of the Round of 12 in the playoffs. Ahead of the Bank of America ROVAL 400, Chase Elliott shared his thoughts on the recent changes.

The sections between Turns 6 and 7 have been repaved. As a result, drivers will exit Turn 5 and encounter a longer straightaway leading into Turn 6. This will be followed by a sharp hairpin at Turn 7, which could offer new overtaking opportunities and challenges for the field.

In a recent press conference, Chase Elliot was asked to shed light on these changes made at Charlotte Motor Speedway.

"To me, I kind of look at it as a new race track truthfully, and that section of the track is going to change the entire flow of a lap there. So, I've been kind of approaching it as a new track in my prep," Elliott said (via Cup Scene on YouTube at 5:28).

"Have some time at sim and just trying to really just memorize the track and what little bumps are here or where or what typically those track scans are. That's probably one of the best things about sim that a driver can go and get familiar with is the track layout, the surface content, roughness, and so on," he added.

Despite the changes, the length of the circuit (2.28 miles) and the number of corners (17) will remain the same.