The 2021 Quaker State 400 was a NASCAR Cup Series race held on July 11, 2021, at Atlanta Motor Speedway in Hampton, Georgia. Contested over 260 laps on the 1.54-mile-long (2.48 km) asphalt quad-oval intermediate speedway, it was the 21st race of the 2021 NASCAR Cup Series season. Kurt Busch, driving the No. 1 car for Chip Ganassi Racing, held off his younger brother Kyle to secure what would ultimately be CGR's final win in NASCAR. This was also the last race held at the track before it was re-configured into a superspeedway in 2022.

2021 Quaker State 400
Race details[1][2][3][4][5][6]
Race 21 of 36 in the 2021 NASCAR Cup Series
Date July 11, 2021 (2021-07-11)
Location Atlanta Motor Speedway in Hampton, Georgia
Course Permanent racing facility
1.54 mi (2.48 km)
Distance 260 laps, 400.4 mi (644.244 km)
Average speed 147.207 miles per hour (236.907 km/h)
Pole position
Driver Hendrick Motorsports
Grid positions set by competition-based formula
Most laps led
Driver Kurt Busch Chip Ganassi Racing
Laps 144
Winner
No. 1 Kurt Busch Chip Ganassi Racing
Television in the United States
Network NBCSN
Announcers Rick Allen, Jeff Burton, Steve Letarte and Dale Earnhardt Jr.
Radio in the United States
Radio PRN
Booth Announcers Doug Rice and Mark Garrow
Turn Announcers Rob Albright (1 & 2) and Brad Gillie (3 & 4)

Report

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Background

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Atlanta Motor Speedway, the track where the race was held.

Atlanta Motor Speedway (formerly Atlanta International Raceway) is a track in Hampton, Georgia, 20 miles (32 km) south of Atlanta. It is a 1.54-mile (2.48 km) quad-oval track with a seating capacity of 111,000. It opened in 1960 as a 1.5-mile (2.4 km) standard oval. In 1994, 46 condominiums were built over the northeastern side of the track. In 1997, to standardize the track with Speedway Motorsports' other two 1.5-mile (2.4 km) ovals, the entire track was almost completely rebuilt. The frontstretch and backstretch were swapped, and the configuration of the track was changed from oval to quad-oval. The project made the track one of the fastest on the NASCAR circuit.

Entry list

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  • (R) denotes rookie driver.
  • (i) denotes driver who are ineligible for series driver points.
No. Driver Team Manufacturer
00 Quin Houff StarCom Racing Chevrolet
1 Kurt Busch Chip Ganassi Racing Chevrolet
2 Brad Keselowski Team Penske Ford
3 Austin Dillon Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet
4 Kevin Harvick Stewart-Haas Racing Ford
5 Kyle Larson Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet
6 Ryan Newman Roush Fenway Racing Ford
7 Corey LaJoie Spire Motorsports Chevrolet
8 Tyler Reddick Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet
9 Chase Elliott Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet
10 Aric Almirola Stewart-Haas Racing Ford
11 Denny Hamlin Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota
12 Ryan Blaney Team Penske Ford
14 Chase Briscoe (R) Stewart-Haas Racing Ford
15 Bayley Currey (i) Rick Ware Racing Chevrolet
17 Chris Buescher Roush Fenway Racing Ford
18 Kyle Busch Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota
19 Martin Truex Jr. Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota
20 Christopher Bell Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota
21 Matt DiBenedetto Wood Brothers Racing Ford
22 Joey Logano Team Penske Ford
23 Bubba Wallace 23XI Racing Toyota
24 William Byron Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet
34 Michael McDowell Front Row Motorsports Ford
37 Ryan Preece JTG Daugherty Racing Chevrolet
38 Anthony Alfredo (R) Front Row Motorsports Ford
41 Cole Custer Stewart-Haas Racing Ford
42 Ross Chastain Chip Ganassi Racing Chevrolet
43 Erik Jones Richard Petty Motorsports Chevrolet
47 Ricky Stenhouse Jr. JTG Daugherty Racing Chevrolet
48 Alex Bowman Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet
51 Cody Ware (i) Petty Ware Racing Chevrolet
52 Josh Bilicki Rick Ware Racing Ford
53 Garrett Smithley (i) Rick Ware Racing Chevrolet
77 Justin Haley (i) Spire Motorsports Chevrolet
78 B. J. McLeod (i) Live Fast Motorsports Ford
99 Daniel Suárez Trackhouse Racing Team Chevrolet
Official entry list

Qualifying

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Chase Elliott was awarded the pole for the race as determined by competition-based formula.[4]

Starting Lineup

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Pos No. Driver Team Manufacturer
1 9 Chase Elliott Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet
2 18 Kyle Busch Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota
3 11 Denny Hamlin Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota
4 20 Christopher Bell Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota
5 19 Martin Truex Jr. Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota
6 5 Kyle Larson Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet
7 1 Kurt Busch Chip Ganassi Racing Chevrolet
8 8 Tyler Reddick Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet
9 42 Ross Chastain Chip Ganassi Racing Chevrolet
10 22 Joey Logano Team Penske Ford
11 14 Chase Briscoe (R) Stewart-Haas Racing Ford
12 21 Matt DiBenedetto Wood Brothers Racing Ford
13 3 Austin Dillon Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet
14 2 Brad Keselowski Team Penske Ford
15 12 Ryan Blaney Team Penske Ford
16 47 Ricky Stenhouse Jr. JTG Daugherty Racing Chevrolet
17 48 Alex Bowman Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet
18 17 Chris Buescher Roush Fenway Racing Ford
19 24 William Byron Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet
20 10 Aric Almirola Stewart-Haas Racing Ford
21 4 Kevin Harvick Stewart-Haas Racing Ford
22 43 Erik Jones Richard Petty Motorsports Chevrolet
23 41 Cole Custer Stewart-Haas Racing Ford
24 23 Bubba Wallace 23XI Racing Toyota
25 34 Michael McDowell Front Row Motorsports Ford
26 7 Corey LaJoie Spire Motorsports Chevrolet
27 99 Daniel Suárez Trackhouse Racing Team Chevrolet
28 77 Justin Haley (i) Spire Motorsports Chevrolet
29 6 Ryan Newman Roush Fenway Racing Ford
30 52 Josh Bilicki Rick Ware Racing Ford
31 51 Cody Ware (i) Petty Ware Racing Chevrolet
32 38 Anthony Alfredo (R) Front Row Motorsports Ford
33 15 Bayley Currey (i) Rick Ware Racing Chevrolet
34 37 Ryan Preece JTG Daugherty Racing Chevrolet
35 00 Quin Houff StarCom Racing Chevrolet
36 78 B. J. McLeod (i) Live Fast Motorsports Ford
37 53 Garrett Smithley (i) Rick Ware Racing Chevrolet
Official starting lineup

Race

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Chase Elliott was awarded the pole. Ricky Stenhouse Jr. spun into the wall and collected Daniel Suárez. Kyle Busch won the first stage while Kurt Busch won the second stage. The race went under a red flag for 20 minutes to repair damage to the track surface. Kurt and Kyle traded the lead with lapped traffic causing problems. After Kyle got into the wall, Kurt was able to pull away and win the race.

Stage Results

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Stage One Laps: 80

Pos No Driver Team Manufacturer Points
1 18 Kyle Busch Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota 10
2 1 Kurt Busch Chip Ganassi Racing Chevrolet 9
3 11 Denny Hamlin Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota 8
4 48 Alex Bowman Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 7
5 8 Tyler Reddick Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet 6
6 5 Kyle Larson Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 5
7 22 Joey Logano Team Penske Ford 4
8 24 William Byron Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 3
9 19 Martin Truex Jr. Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota 2
10 4 Kevin Harvick Stewart-Haas Racing Ford 1
Official stage one results

Stage Two Laps: 80

Pos No Driver Team Manufacturer Points
1 1 Kurt Busch Chip Ganassi Racing Chevrolet 10
2 18 Kyle Busch Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota 9
3 48 Alex Bowman Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 8
4 5 Kyle Larson Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 7
5 11 Denny Hamlin Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota 6
6 8 Tyler Reddick Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet 5
7 12 Ryan Blaney Team Penske Ford 4
8 2 Brad Keselowski Team Penske Ford 3
9 3 Austin Dillon Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet 2
10 19 Martin Truex Jr. Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota 1
Official stage two results

Final Stage Results

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Stage Three Laps: 100

Pos Grid No Driver Team Manufacturer Laps Points
1 8 1 Kurt Busch Chip Ganassi Racing Chevrolet 260 59
2 2 18 Kyle Busch Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota 260 54
3 5 19 Martin Truex Jr. Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota 260 37
4 17 48 Alex Bowman Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 260 48
5 15 12 Ryan Blaney Team Penske Ford 260 36
6 7 8 Tyler Reddick Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet 260 42
7 1 9 Chase Elliott Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 260 30
8 4 20 Christopher Bell Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota 260 29
9 12 21 Matt DiBenedetto Wood Brothers Racing Ford 260 28
10 14 2 Brad Keselowski Team Penske Ford 260 30
11 21 4 Kevin Harvick Stewart-Haas Racing Ford 260 27
12 13 3 Austin Dillon Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet 260 27
13 3 11 Denny Hamlin Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota 260 38
14 24 23 Bubba Wallace 23XI Racing Toyota 260 23
15 11 14 Chase Briscoe (R) Stewart-Haas Racing Ford 260 22
16 18 17 Chris Buescher Roush Fenway Racing Ford 260 21
17 23 41 Cole Custer Stewart-Haas Racing Ford 260 20
18 6 5 Kyle Larson Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 260 31
19 10 22 Joey Logano Team Penske Ford 259 22
20 19 24 William Byron Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 259 20
21 9 42 Ross Chastain Chip Ganassi Racing Chevrolet 259 16
22 26 7 Corey LaJoie Spire Motorsports Chevrolet 258 15
23 20 10 Aric Almirola Stewart-Haas Racing Ford 258 14
24 22 43 Erik Jones Richard Petty Motorsports Chevrolet 258 13
25 34 37 Ryan Preece JTG Daugherty Racing Chevrolet 258 12
26 32 38 Anthony Alfredo (R) Front Row Motorsports Ford 257 11
27 25 34 Michael McDowell Front Row Motorsports Ford 256 10
28 29 6 Ryan Newman Roush Fenway Racing Ford 256 9
29 28 77 Justin Haley (i) Spire Motorsports Chevrolet 255 0
30 36 78 B.J. McLeod (i) Live Fast Motorsports Ford 254 0
31 37 53 Garrett Smithley (i) Rick Ware Racing Chevrolet 253 0
32 33 15 Bayley Currey (i) Rick Ware Racing Chevrolet 253 0
33 31 51 Cody Ware (i) Petty Ware Racing Chevrolet 253 0
34 30 52 Josh Bilicki Rick Ware Racing Ford 248 3
35 35 00 Quin Houff StarCom Racing Chevrolet 248 2
36 27 99 Daniel Suárez Trackhouse Racing Team Chevrolet 243 1
37 16 47 Ricky Stenhouse Jr. JTG Daugherty Racing Chevrolet 178 1
Official race results

Race statistics

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  • Lead changes: 10 among 7 different drivers
  • Cautions/Laps: 4 for 21
  • Red flags: 1 for 19 minutes and 4 seconds
  • Time of race: 2 hours, 50 minutes and 8 seconds
  • Average speed: 147.207 miles per hour (236.907 km/h)

Media

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Television

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NBC Sports covered the race on the television side. Rick Allen, Jeff Burton, Steve Letarte and 2004 Atlanta winner Dale Earnhardt Jr. called the race from the broadcast booth. Dave Burns, Marty Snider and Dillon Welch handled the pit road duties from pit lane. Rutledge Wood handled the features from the track.

NBCSN
Booth announcers Pit reporters Features reporter
Lap-by-lap: Rick Allen
Color-commentator: Jeff Burton
Color-commentator: Steve Letarte
Color-commentator: Dale Earnhardt Jr.
Dave Burns
Marty Snider
Dillon Welch
Rutledge Wood

Radio

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The race was broadcast on radio by the Performance Racing Network and simulcast on Sirius XM NASCAR Radio. Doug Rice and Mark Garrow called the race from the booth when the field raced down the front stretch. Rob Albright called the race from atop a billboard outside of turn 2 when the field raced through turns 1 and 2 & Brad Gillie called the race from a billboard outside of turn 3 when the field raced through turns 3 and 4. On pit road, PRN was manned by Alan Cavanna, Brett McMillan and Doug Turnbull.

PRN
Booth announcers Turn announcers Pit reporters
Lead announcer: Doug Rice
Announcer: Mark Garrow
Turns 1 & 2: Rob Albright
Turns 3 & 4: Brad Gillie
Doug Turnbull
Brett McMillan
Alan Cavanna

Standings after the race

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References

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  1. ^ "2021 schedule". Jayski.com. Jayski's Silly Season Site. Retrieved June 1, 2021.
  2. ^ "Atlanta Motor Speedway". NASCAR.com. NASCAR Media Group, LLC. January 3, 2013. Archived from the original on February 19, 2016. Retrieved June 1, 2021.
  3. ^ "Entry List" (PDF). Jayski.com. Jayski's Silly Season Site. July 6, 2021. Retrieved July 6, 2021.
  4. ^ a b "Starting Lineup". NASCAR.com. NASCAR Media Group, LLC. July 7, 2021. Retrieved July 7, 2021.
  5. ^ "Quaker State 400 Results". NASCAR.com. NASCAR. July 11, 2021. Retrieved July 11, 2021.
  6. ^ "Points standings" (PDF). Jayski.com. Jayski's Silly Season Site. July 11, 2021. Retrieved July 11, 2021.


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