2021 Folds of Honor QuikTrip 500
{{short description|NASCAR Cup Series race}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=February 2025}}
{{Infobox NASCAR race report
| Type = CUST
| Description = Race 6 of 36 in the 2021 NASCAR Cup Series
| Race Name = Folds of Honor QuikTrip 500
| Details ref = {{cite web |title=2021 schedule |url=https://www.jayski.com/nascar-cup-series/2021-nascar-cup-series-schedule/ |website=Jayski.com|publisher=Jayski's Silly Season Site |accessdate=February 15, 2021}}{{cite web|title=Atlanta Motor Speedway|url=http://www.nascar.com/en_us/nascar-tracks/atlanta-motor-speedway.html|website=NASCAR.com|publisher=NASCAR Media Group, LLC.|accessdate=February 15, 2021|date=January 3, 2013|archive-date=February 19, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160219053741/http://www.nascar.com/en_us/nascar-tracks/atlanta-motor-speedway.html|url-status=dead}}{{cite web|title=Entry List|url=https://www.jayski.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/31/2021/3/17/2021-06cup-entry-2.pdf|website=Jayski.com|publisher=Jayski's Silly Season Site|access-date=March 16, 2021|date=March 16, 2021}}{{cite web|title=Starting Lineup|url=https://www.nascar.com/news-media/2021/03/17/cup-series-2021-busch-pole-award-atlanta-starting-lineup/|website=NASCAR.com|publisher=NASCAR Media Group, LLC.|access-date=March 17, 2021|date=March 17, 2021}}{{cite web|title=Folds of Honor QuikTrip 500 Results|url=https://www.nascar.com/results/racecenter/2021/nascar-cup-series/folds-of-honor-quiktrip-500/stn/results/|website=NASCAR.com|publisher=NASCAR|access-date=March 21, 2021|date=March 21, 2021}}{{cite web|title=Points standings|url=https://www.jayski.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/31/2021/3/21/2021-06cup-points.pdf|website=Jayski.com|publisher=Jayski's Silly Season Site|access-date=March 21, 2021|date=March 21, 2021}}
| Fulldate = {{Start date|2021|03|21}}
| Year = 2021
| Image = Atlanta Motor Speedway.svg
| Caption =
| Location = Atlanta Motor Speedway in Hampton, Georgia
| Course_mi = 1.54
| Course_km = 2.48
| Distance_laps = 325
| Distance_mi = 500.5
| Distance_km = 806
| Weather =
| Avg = {{convert|144.595|mph|km/h}}
| Pole_Driver = Denny Hamlin
| Pole_Team = Joe Gibbs Racing
| Grid_from_prev_perf = yes
| Most_Driver = Kyle Larson
| Most_Team = Hendrick Motorsports
| Most_laps = 269
| Car = 12
| First_Driver = Ryan Blaney
| First_Team = Team Penske
| Network = Fox
| Announcers = Mike Joy, Jeff Gordon and Clint Bowyer
| Ratings = 3.724 million{{cite web|title=Folds of Honor QuikTrip 500 ratings|url=http://www.showbuzzdaily.com/articles/skedball-weekly-sports-tv-ratings-3-15-3-21-2021.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210323213752/http://www.showbuzzdaily.com/articles/skedball-weekly-sports-tv-ratings-3-15-3-21-2021.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=23 March 2021|website=ShowBuzzDaily|publisher=Mitch Metcalf|access-date=23 March 2021}}
| Radio = PRN
| Booth_Ann = Doug Rice and Mark Garrow
| Turn_Ann = Rob Albright (1 & 2) and Pat Patterson (3 & 4)
}}
The 2021 Folds of Honor QuikTrip 500 was a NASCAR Cup Series race held on March 21, 2021, at Atlanta Motor Speedway in Hampton, Georgia. Contested over 325 laps on the {{convert|1.54|mi|km|adj=mid|-long}} asphalt quad-oval intermediate speedway, it was the sixth race of the 2021 NASCAR Cup Series season.
Report
=Background=
File:Atlanta Motor Speedway aerial 2006.jpg, the track where the race was held.]]
Atlanta Motor Speedway (formerly Atlanta International Raceway) is a track in Hampton, Georgia, {{convert|20|mi|km}} south of Atlanta. It is a {{convert|1.54|mi|km|adj=on}} quad-oval track with a seating capacity of 111,000. It opened in 1960 as a {{convert|1.5|mi|km|adj=on}} 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 {{convert|1.5|mi|km|adj=on}} 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.
{{clear}}
==Entry list==
- (R) denotes rookie driver.
- (i) denotes driver who are ineligible for series driver points.
Qualifying
Denny Hamlin was awarded the pole for the race as determined by competition-based formula.
=Starting Lineup=
Race
Ryan Blaney won the race, driving a Ford. Kyle Larson led for 269 laps, but Blaney overtook him eight laps from the end because Larson's tires were wearing out.{{Cite news|url= https://www.autosport.com/nascar-cup/news/ryan-blaney-passes-larson-late-captures-atlanta-cup-win/5838348/ |title= Blaney snatches lead from Larson to win Atlanta NASCAR Cup race |last= Utter |first= Jim |date= 21 March 2021 |access-date= 22 March 2021 |work= Autosport}}
=Stage Results=
Stage One
Laps: 105
| class="wikitable" style="font-size:98%" | |||||
| Pos
! {{Tooltip|No|Car Number}} ! Driver ! Team ! Manufacturer ! Points | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 5 | Kyle Larson | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 10 |
| 2 | 18 | Kyle Busch | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 9 |
| 3 | 12 | Ryan Blaney | Team Penske | Ford | 8 |
| 4 | 1 | Kurt Busch | Chip Ganassi Racing | Chevrolet | 7 |
| 5 | 11 | Denny Hamlin | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 6 |
| 6 | 48 | Alex Bowman | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 5 |
| 7 | 19 | Martin Truex Jr. | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 4 |
| 8 | 9 | Chase Elliott | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 3 |
| 9 | 17 | Chris Buescher | Roush Fenway Racing | Ford | 2 |
| 10 | 24 | William Byron | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 1 |
| colspan="6"|[https://www.jayski.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/31/2021/3/21/2021-06cup-results.pdf Official stage one results] |
Stage Two
Laps: 105
| class="wikitable" style="font-size:98%" | |||||
| Pos
! {{Tooltip|No|Car Number}} ! Driver ! Team ! Manufacturer ! Points | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 5 | Kyle Larson | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 10 |
| 2 | 12 | Ryan Blaney | Team Penske | Ford | 9 |
| 3 | 48 | Alex Bowman | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 8 |
| 4 | 18 | Kyle Busch | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 7 |
| 5 | 24 | William Byron | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 6 |
| 6 | 21 | Matt DiBenedetto | Wood Brothers Racing | Ford | 5 |
| 7 | 3 | Austin Dillon | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 4 |
| 8 | 17 | Chris Buescher | Roush Fenway Racing | Ford | 3 |
| 9 | 11 | Denny Hamlin | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 2 |
| 10 | 99 | Daniel Suárez | Trackhouse Racing Team | Chevrolet | 1 |
| colspan="6"|[https://www.jayski.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/31/2021/3/21/2021-06cup-results.pdf Official stage two results] |
=Final Stage Results=
Stage Three
Laps: 115
| class="wikitable" style="font-size:98%" | |||||||
| Pos
! Grid ! {{Tooltip|No|Car Number}} ! Driver ! Team ! Manufacturer ! Laps ! Points | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 10 | 12 | Ryan Blaney | Team Penske | Ford | 325 | 57 |
| 2 | 6 | 5 | Kyle Larson | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 325 | 55 |
| 3 | 14 | 48 | Alex Bowman | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 325 | 47 |
| 4 | 1 | 11 | Denny Hamlin | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 325 | 41 |
| 5 | 19 | 18 | Kyle Busch | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 325 | 48 |
| 6 | 13 | 3 | Austin Dillon | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 325 | 35 |
| 7 | 17 | 17 | Chris Buescher | Roush Fenway Racing | Ford | 325 | 35 |
| 8 | 9 | 24 | William Byron | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 325 | 36 |
| 9 | 2 | 19 | Martin Truex Jr. | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 325 | 32 |
| 10 | 7 | 4 | Kevin Harvick | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford | 325 | 27 |
| 11 | 20 | 21 | Matt DiBenedetto | Wood Brothers Racing | Ford | 325 | 31 |
| 12 | 12 | 47 | Ricky Stenhouse Jr. | JTG Daugherty Racing | Chevrolet | 325 | 25 |
| 13 | 28 | 6 | Ryan Newman | Roush Fenway Racing | Ford | 325 | 24 |
| 14 | 21 | 42 | Ross Chastain | Chip Ganassi Racing | Chevrolet | 325 | 23 |
| 15 | 3 | 22 | Joey Logano | Team Penske | Ford | 324 | 22 |
| 16 | 15 | 23 | Bubba Wallace | 23XI Racing | Toyota | 324 | 21 |
| 17 | 25 | 99 | Daniel Suárez | Trackhouse Racing Team | Chevrolet | 324 | 21 |
| 18 | 27 | 41 | Cole Custer | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford | 324 | 19 |
| 19 | 18 | 34 | Michael McDowell | Front Row Motorsports | Ford | 324 | 18 |
| 20 | 16 | 10 | Aric Almirola | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford | 324 | 17 |
| 21 | 8 | 20 | Christopher Bell | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 323 | 16 |
| 22 | 39 | 33 | Austin Cindric (i) | Team Penske | Ford | 323 | 0 |
| 23 | 24 | 14 | Chase Briscoe (R) | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford | 323 | 14 |
| 24 | 22 | 43 | Erik Jones | Richard Petty Motorsports | Chevrolet | 323 | 13 |
| 25 | 23 | 37 | Ryan Preece | JTG Daugherty Racing | Chevrolet | 323 | 12 |
| 26 | 29 | 8 | Tyler Reddick | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 323 | 11 |
| 27 | 32 | 38 | Anthony Alfredo (R) | Front Row Motorsports | Ford | 322 | 10 |
| 28 | 4 | 2 | Brad Keselowski | Team Penske | Ford | 321 | 9 |
| 29 | 30 | 7 | Corey LaJoie | Spire Motorsports | Chevrolet | 319 | 8 |
| 30 | 26 | 77 | Justin Haley (i) | Spire Motorsports | Chevrolet | 319 | 0 |
| 31 | 33 | 51 | Cody Ware (i) | Petty Ware Racing | Chevrolet | 316 | 0 |
| 32 | 34 | 15 | James Davison | Rick Ware Racing | Chevrolet | 316 | 5 |
| 33 | 35 | 00 | Quin Houff | StarCom Racing | Chevrolet | 314 | 4 |
| 34 | 31 | 78 | B. J. McLeod (i) | Live Fast Motorsports | Ford | 313 | 0 |
| 35 | 36 | 53 | Joey Gase | Rick Ware Racing | Chevrolet | 308 | 2 |
| 36 | 38 | 66 | Timmy Hill (i) | MBM Motorsports | Ford | 305 | 0 |
| 37 | 37 | 52 | Josh Bilicki | Rick Ware Racing | Ford | 285 | 1 |
| 38 | 5 | 9 | Chase Elliott | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 220 | 4 |
| 39 | 11 | 1 | Kurt Busch | Chip Ganassi Racing | Chevrolet | 113 | 8 |
| colspan="8"|[https://www.jayski.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/31/2021/3/21/2021-06cup-results.pdf Official race results] |
=Race statistics=
- Lead changes: 11 among 6 different drivers
- Cautions/Laps: 5 for 25
- Red flags: 0
- Time of race: 3 hours, 27 minutes and 41 seconds
- Average speed: {{convert|144.595|mph|km/h}}
Media
=Television=
The Folds of Honor QuikTrip 500 was carried by Fox in the United States. Mike Joy, five-time Atlanta winner Jeff Gordon and Clint Bowyer called the race from the broadcast booth. Jamie Little and Regan Smith handled pit road for the television side. Larry McReynolds provided insight from the Fox Sports studio in Charlotte.
| class="wikitable" style="font-size: 95%" | ||
| colspan="3"|Fox | ||
|---|---|---|
| Booth announcers | Pit reporters | In-race analyst |
| Lap-by-lap: Mike Joy Color-commentator: Jeff Gordon Color-commentator: Clint Bowyer | Jamie Little Regan Smith | Larry McReynolds |
=Radio=
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 & Pat Patterson 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 Brad Gillie, Doug Turnbull and Wendy Venturini.
| class="wikitable" style="font-size: 95%" | ||
| colspan="3"|PRN | ||
|---|---|---|
| Booth announcers | Turn announcers | Pit reporters |
| Lead announcer: Doug Rice Announcer: Mark Garrow | Turns 1 & 2: Rob Albright Turns 3 & 4: Pat Patterson | Brad Gillie Doug Turnbull Wendy Venturini |
Standings after the race
{{col-begin}}
{{col-2}}
;Drivers' Championship standings
| class="wikitable" style="font-size: 95%" |
| ! Pos
! Driver ! Points |
|---|
| align="left"| 10px
| style="text-align:center;"| 1 | style="text-align:center;"| 277 |
| align="left"| 10px 3
| style="text-align:center;"| 2 | style="text-align:center;"| 234 (–43) |
| align="left"| 10px
| style="text-align:center;"| 3 | style="text-align:center;"| 214 (–63) |
| align="left"| 10px
| style="text-align:center;"| 4 | style="text-align:center;"| 212 (–65) |
| align="left"| 10px 3
| style="text-align:center;"| 5 | style="text-align:center;"| 206 (–71) |
| align="left"| 10px 1
| style="text-align:center;"| 6 | style="text-align:center;"| 203 (–74) |
| align="left"| 10px 6
| style="text-align:center;"| 7 | style="text-align:center;"| 191 (–86) |
| align="left"| 10px 1
| style="text-align:center;"| 8 | style="text-align:center;"| 188 (–89) |
| align="left"| 10px 1
| style="text-align:center;"| 9 | style="text-align:center;"| 183 (–94) |
| align="left"| 10px 4
| style="text-align:center;"| 10 | style="text-align:center;"| 183 (–94) |
| align="left"| 10px 1
| style="text-align:center;"| 11 | style="text-align:center;"| 170 (–107) |
| align="left"| 10px 3
| style="text-align:center;"| 12 | style="text-align:center;"| 163 (–114) |
| align="left"| 10px 2
| style="text-align:center;"| 13 | style="text-align:center;"| 158 (–119) |
| align="left"| 10px 3
| style="text-align:center;"| 14 | style="text-align:center;"| 157 (–120) |
| align="left"| 10px 5
| style="text-align:center;"| 15 | style="text-align:center;"| 152 (–125) |
| align="left"| 10px 2
| style="text-align:center;"| 16 | style="text-align:center;"| 144 (–133) |
| class="sortbottom"
!colspan="9"|[https://www.jayski.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/31/2021/3/21/2021-06cup-points.pdf Official driver's standings] |
{{col-2}}
;Manufacturers' Championship standings
| class="wikitable" style="font-size: 95%" |
| ! Pos
! Manufacturer ! Points |
|---|
| align="left"| 10px 2
| style="text-align:center;"| 1 | Ford | style="text-align:center;"| 217 |
| align="left"| 10px 1
| style="text-align:center;"| 2 | style="text-align:center;"| 215 (–2) |
| align="left"| 10px 1
| style="text-align:center;"| 3 | Toyota | style="text-align:center;"| 213 (–4) |
| class="sortbottom" |
- Note: Only the first 16 positions are included for the driver standings.
{{col-end}}
References
{{Reflist|30em}}
{{NASCAR next race
| Series = NASCAR Cup Series
| Monsteryear = 2021
| Previous_race = 2021 Instacart 500
| Next_race = 2021 Food City Dirt Race
}}
{{2021 NASCAR Cup}}
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Folds of Honor QuikTrip 500, 2021}}
Category:2021 in sports in Georgia (U.S. state)