Denny Hamlin once again leads the Top-10 Power Rankings despite his disappointing finish at EchoPark Speedway.
Note: The quotes in this article are fictional.
1. Denny Hamlin:
Hamlin was knocked out of the Quaker State 400 when he was caught in a lap 69 accident at EchoPark Speedway. He finished 37th.
“My No. 11 Toyota sported sponsorship by Kings Hawaiian,” Hamlin said. “It’s too bad I wasn’t victorious in Atlanta, because it would have been really cool to call myself the ‘bread winner.'”
2. Chase Elliott:
Elliott surged late and made a last-lap pass on Brad Keselowski to win the Quaker State 400.
“Tyler Reddick edged me by 1/1000th of a second to win Stage 2,” Elliott said. “I can tell you the good people down at the Dawsonville Pool Room don’t give 1/1000th of a damn about a stage win, because they want to see a race win. And they got one.”
3. William Byron:
Like many drivers, Byron was wrecked in a massive pileup on lap 69 that involved several cars. He finished 37th.
“Atlanta Motor Speedway is now called ‘EchoPark Speedway,'” Byron said. “It’s sad to see a track sell its soul to the highest bidder, but I was happy to see my No. 24 Axalta Valvoline Liberty University Hendrick Chevrolet give everything it had.”
4. Alex Bowman:
Bowman finished third in the Quaker State 400.
“That was truly a race of attrition,” Bowman said. “And I think it’s safe to say a whole bunch of drivers were ‘attrition’ed.'”
5. Chase Briscoe:
Briscoe was collected in an early wreck and finished 34th.
“I was out of the race early,” Briscoe said, “so I didn’t have to conserve fuel in Atlanta like I did at Pocono. That being said, even on a totally empty tank, I still think I could have gone faster than David Starr.”
6. Chris Buescher:
Buescher survived a chaotic night in Atlanta to finish __th in the Quaker State 400.
“That’s right,” Buescher said. “I had Cinnamon Toast Crunch on my No. 17 Ford. To me, it seems surreal that cereal has been serially underrepresented in NASCAR.”
7. Ryan Blaney:
Blaney was a victim of a multi-car crash on lap 57 that ended his night in Atlanta. He finished 40th, in last place.
“You know there were a lot of crashes,” Blaney said, “when you have to specify which multi-car accident you were in.”
8. Ross Chastain:
Chastain finished __ in the Quaker State 400.
“The ‘Big One’ took out ‘this 1,'” Chastain said.
9. Christopher Bell:
Bell finished 30th in the Quaker State 400.
“Racing at EchoPark Speedway is always great viewing for spectators,” Bell said. “And that includes superstars like me who became spectators.”
10. Joey Logano:
Logano started on the pole but crashed out early when he was collected in a big crash on lap 69. He finished 36th.
“This was the first race of the in-season challenge,” Logano said. “And the only thing busted more than the cars are the in-season brackets.”
