NASCAR: Atlanta a hit; Chase Elliott fades; Shane van Gisbergen update

You buying all that newfound love for Atlanta Motor Speedway, or skeptical as usual?

Oh, the love is real, and it comes with an obvious explanation: It’s lap after lap of give-and-take — or, often, take-and-take — and gives legitimate hope to guys who normally race back in the shadows.

Yes, that was JJ Yeley finishing seventh for his first top-10 in a decade!

And yes, it’s contrived competition, brought about by the same mandated car set-ups that slow speeds and equalize the fields at Daytona and Talladega.

But NASCAR was built upon rules promoting close-quarters racing; this just takes it to an extreme. However …

I KNEW it, here comes your downside, right?

No downside, just a prediction, and if it comes true it’ll be welcomed by most fans — and, by the way, those who try to attract TV viewers.

NASCAR made Atlanta a “plate race” starting last year after the track was repaved and reconfigured with increased banking, therefore increasing the speeds beyond comfort.

Might they be wondering if they could bring the same car set-ups to, say, Texas, Vegas and maybe even Charlotte or Kansas — four other 1½-mile tracks hosting a combined six annual races on their ovals and quad-ovals?

Too much ain’t enough, some say.

After years of railing against such abuses of competition, count me among those in favor of giving the fans what they want, even when it’s wrong. Modern safety advances have made it more palatable, at least.

Didn’t you pick Chase Elliott to win Atlanta?

Shhhh. While nearly everyone seemed capable of winning Atlanta at one time or another, ol’ Billy Clyde managed to fade into the woodwork and go missing.

He gained a position in points, from 24th to 23rd, but actually lost ground on 16th place – he was 55 points back, but is 60 in arrears after Atlanta.

It definitely looks like a win over the next seven weeks is his only path to the playoffs.

Two bits of good news for Chase Elliott fans:

1. Two of those races are on road courses – Indy and Watkins Glen next month.

2. Shane van Gisbergen isn’t entered in either of them, though he might be coming this way sooner than originally thought.

You have a Shane van Gisbergen update?

After he won Chicago, Shane reiterated his desire to leave Australia and take a shot at NASCAR. But it wouldn’t be until 2025, since he’s signed through ’24 with his Aussie SuperCars team.

Then word came last week, from his Aussie team owner, saying the team wouldn’t stand in the way of van Gisbergen following his dream and bolting for the U.S.

However, as crazy as it sounds, mid-July is pretty late to start putting together a plan for the following race season. At the NASCAR level, anyway.

Whenever he does arrive, some team will immediately become one of the odds-on favorites at all the road courses, but the vast majority of Cup races are still on ovals, and that’s where Shane might literally get a crash course.