Elliott Finishes 18th after Strong Start in Las Vegas Playoff Race

• Chase Elliott and the No. 9 NAPA Auto Parts team qualified fourth for Sunday’s NASCAR Cup Series playoff race at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.
• Elliott earned points in stage one, ending it in the fifth position.
• In the second stage, the team was issued a pass-through penalty for an uncontrolled tire following a green-flag pit stop. Elliott finished the stage in 25th and earned the free pass to get back on the lead lap.
• He gave it his all in the final stage, but making up the lost track position proved to be difficult. Elliott ultimately finished 18th.
• With two races left in the Round of 8, Elliott sits sixth in the standings, 23 points below the cutline.

Chase Elliott and the No. 9 NAPA Auto Parts team unloaded a fast Chevrolet for the race weekend at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. Elliott qualified fourth for Sunday’s NASCAR Cup Series race and held strong inside the top five after the green flag waved for the 267-lap race. Running fourth when green-flag pit stops got underway, Elliott made his way to pit road on lap 34 for four fresh tires, fuel and an air pressure adjustment. Once the field cycled through stops, Elliott was scored sixth. From there, the 2020 Cup Series champion improved to fourth before the caution came out on lap 72. Crew chief Alan Gustafson called Elliott in for four tires and fuel. The 29-year-old driver restarted from the second row on lap 78 and finished the first stage in the fifth position.

Under the stage break, Elliott reported positive feedback regarding his No. 9 NAPA Auto Parts Chevy’s balance. Staying out, he lined up on the outside of row three to start the second stage. After initially losing a couple positions, Elliott made his way back up to fifth. The Dawsonville, Georgia, native was running in sixth when teams began making green-flag pit stops. Elliott brought the No. 9 NAPA Auto Parts Chevy to the attention of his crew for four tires and fuel on lap 118. Unfortunately, the team was issued a pass-through penalty for an uncontrolled tire. Once Chase served the penalty, he was scored a lap down but was still fast enough to race with the front-running cars to try to unlap himself. Elliott was ultimately unable to pass the leader before the stage ended, but he was awarded the free pass for being the first driver one lap down.

After pitting for four tires, fuel and a chassis adjustment, Elliott lined up at the tail of field to take the green flag for the final stage on lap 173. He made his way back inside the top 20 on lap 193 and was scored 17th when green-flag pit stops began on lap 210. Elliott remained on the track until pitting for four tires and fuel on lap 218. He was up to 15th at the time of a caution on lap 237. The team made its final pit stop of the day for four tires under the yellow flag. With some teams opting for two tires, Elliott restarted 18th on lap 245 before a multi-incident slowed the race. The No. 9 NAPA Auto Parts Chevrolet received slight damage to the left rear when Elliott was navigating through the melee. The team opted not to pit, and Elliott chose the outside lane for the restart. He slipped back to 20th before climbing to 18th to end the race.

“We started our day strong,” Elliott said after the checkered flag. “I thought we had the balance of our No. 9 NAPA Chevy in a really good spot. I was just happy with the way it was driving. Unfortunately, we got a pit road penalty in stage two and we just got back in traffic. I needed something pretty different, balance-wise, to be good back there. I probably missed a little bit on my first read and we only had a couple shots to try and help that. We’ll regroup and try again next weekend at Talladega (Superspeedway).”

With two races remaining in the Round of 8, Elliott sits sixth in the playoff standings, 23 points below the cutline.

Start / Finish: 4 / 18
Points Standing / Total: 6th / -23 below cutline

Next Race: Sunday, Oct. 19, Talladega Superspeedway
How to Watch or Listen: 2:00 p.m. ET on NBC, SiriusXM or MRN

NAPA: @NAPARacing
Chase Elliott: @ChaseElliott
Hendrick Motorsports: @TeamHendrick
No. 9 Team: @Hendrick9Team