2021 Folds of Honor QuikTrip 500
# 2021 Folds of Honor QuikTrip 500

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 1.54-mile-long (2.48 km) asphalt quad-oval intermediate speedway, it was the sixth race of the 2021 NASCAR Cup Series season.

## Report

### Background

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**

* (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 | James Davison | 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 |
| 33 | Austin Cindric (i) | Team Penske | Ford |
| 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 | Joey Gase | Rick Ware Racing | Chevrolet |
| 66 | Timmy Hill (i) | MBM Motorsports | Ford |
| 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

Denny Hamlin was awarded the pole for the race as determined by competition-based formula.

### Starting Lineup

| Pos | No. | Driver | Team | Manufacturer |
| - | - | - | - | - |
| 1 | 11 | Denny Hamlin | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota |
| 2 | 19 | Martin Truex Jr. | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota |
| 3 | 22 | Joey Logano | Team Penske | Ford |
| 4 | 2 | Brad Keselowski | Team Penske | Ford |
| 5 | 9 | Chase Elliott | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet |
| 6 | 5 | Kyle Larson | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet |
| 7 | 4 | Kevin Harvick | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford |
| 8 | 20 | Christopher Bell | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota |
| 9 | 24 | William Byron | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet |
| 10 | 12 | Ryan Blaney | Team Penske | Ford |
| 11 | 1 | Kurt Busch | Chip Ganassi Racing | Chevrolet |
| 12 | 47 | Ricky Stenhouse Jr. | JTG Daugherty Racing | Chevrolet |
| 13 | 3 | Austin Dillon | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet |
| 14 | 48 | Alex Bowman | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet |
| 15 | 23 | Bubba Wallace | 23XI Racing | Toyota |
| 16 | 10 | Aric Almirola | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford |
| 17 | 17 | Chris Buescher | Roush Fenway Racing | Ford |
| 18 | 34 | Michael McDowell | Front Row Motorsports | Ford |
| 19 | 18 | Kyle Busch | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota |
| 20 | 21 | Matt DiBenedetto | Wood Brothers Racing | Ford |
| 21 | 42 | Ross Chastain | Chip Ganassi Racing | Chevrolet |
| 22 | 43 | Erik Jones | Richard Petty Motorsports | Chevrolet |
| 23 | 37 | Ryan Preece | JTG Daugherty Racing | Chevrolet |
| 24 | 14 | Chase Briscoe (R) | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford |
| 25 | 99 | Daniel Suárez | Trackhouse Racing Team | Chevrolet |
| 26 | 77 | Justin Haley (i) | Spire Motorsports | Chevrolet |
| 27 | 41 | Cole Custer | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford |
| 28 | 6 | Ryan Newman | Roush Fenway Racing | Ford |
| 29 | 8 | Tyler Reddick | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet |
| 30 | 7 | Corey LaJoie | Spire Motorsports | Chevrolet |
| 31 | 78 | B. J. McLeod (i) | Live Fast Motorsports | Ford |
| 32 | 38 | Anthony Alfredo (R) | Front Row Motorsports | Ford |
| 33 | 51 | Cody Ware (i) | Petty Ware Racing | Chevrolet |
| 34 | 15 | James Davison | Rick Ware Racing | Chevrolet |
| 35 | 00 | Quin Houff | StarCom Racing | Chevrolet |
| 36 | 53 | Joey Gase | Rick Ware Racing | Chevrolet |
| 37 | 52 | Josh Bilicki | Rick Ware Racing | Ford |
| 38 | 66 | Timmy Hill (i) | MBM Motorsports | Ford |
| 39 | 33 | Austin Cindric (i) | Team Penske | Ford |
| Official 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.

### Stage Results

Stage One Laps: 105

| Pos | No | 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 |
| Official stage one results ||||||

Stage Two Laps: 105

| Pos | No | 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 |
| Official stage two results ||||||

### Final Stage Results

Stage Three Laps: 115

| Pos | Grid | No | 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 |
| 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: 144.595 miles per hour (232.703 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.

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.

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

| | Pos | Driver | Points |
| - | - | - | - |
| | 1 | Denny Hamlin | 277 |
| 3 | 2 | Kyle Larson | 234 (–43) |
| | 3 | Joey Logano | 214 (–63) |
| | 4 | Martin Truex Jr. | 212 (–65) |
| 3 | 5 | Brad Keselowski | 206 (–71) |
| 1 | 6 | Kevin Harvick | 203 (–74) |
| 6 | 7 | Ryan Blaney | 191 (–86) |
| 1 | 8 | William Byron | 188 (–89) |
| 1 | 9 | Christopher Bell | 183 (–94) |
| 4 | 10 | Chase Elliott | 183 (–94) |
| 1 | 11 | Austin Dillon | 170 (–107) |
| 3 | 12 | Kyle Busch | 163 (–114) |
| 2 | 13 | Michael McDowell | 158 (–119) |
| 3 | 14 | Alex Bowman | 157 (–120) |
| 5 | 15 | Kurt Busch | 152 (–125) |
| 2 | 16 | Chris Buescher | 144 (–133) |
| Official driver's standings ||||
| | Pos | Manufacturer | Points |
| 2 | 1 | Ford | 217 |
| 1 | 2 | Chevrolet | 215 (–2) |
| 1 | 3 | Toyota | 213 (–4) |
