Early Incident Takes Elliott Out of Coca-Cola 600

• Chase Elliott and the No. 9 NAPA Auto Parts team started Sunday’s NASCAR Cup Series race at Charlotte Motor Speedway from 16th after qualifying was canceled due to weather.
• Elliott was running just outside of the top 15 on lap 90 when his No. 9 NAPA Auto Parts Patriotic Chevrolet got loose. The 30-year-old driver tried to save it, but unfortunately sustained race-ending damage to the front end of the No. 9 Chevrolet.
• He was relegated to a 37th-place finish in the Coca-Cola 600.
• Elliott is now fifth in the Cup Series point standings, 197 markers behind the leader.

The NASCAR Cup Series headed to Charlotte Motor Speedway for Coca-Cola 600 race weekend. Weather in the area on Saturday afternoon forced officials to cancel qualifying, which put Chase Elliott and the No. 9 NAPA Auto Parts team 16th in the starting lineup for Sunday’s 600-mile race. In a special patriotic scheme, which honored Staff Sergeant Frank Perrone and all service members who made the ultimate sacrifice, Elliott rolled off the grid on Sunday afternoon ready for 400 laps at NASCAR’s home track.

When the green flag waved, Elliott advanced as high as 13th and was running in 15th at the time of the first caution of the race on lap 35. He reported to his team that his No. 9 NAPA Auto Parts Patriotic Chevrolet was “edgy with the back, but lazy with the nose still.” Crew chief Alan Gustafson made the call for an air pressure adjustment, along with four fresh tires and fuel. Elliott was 18th to choose, opting for the inside lane for the lap-40 restart. He battled hard for position and was running in 20th when an incident brought out the yellow flag on lap 53. The team made a pit stop for four tires, fuel and a chassis adjustment. He restarted just inside the top 20 and was up to 16th when his No. 9 NAPA Auto Parts Patriotic Chevy got loose on lap 90. Elliott tried to hold onto it, but he unfortunately made contact with the inside retaining wall. The damage to the No. 9 Chevy’s front end was too severe for Elliott to return to the race. He was relegated to a 37th-place finish.

“I just made a mistake, spun out and hit the wall, unfortunately,” Elliott said after the incident. “I hate it. It’s been a terrible race, I feel like, throughout the course of my career, just crashed a bunch. Just a lot of race left. I was trying to find something. We were bleeding pretty bad, and I moved up to the top there, trying to click off some faster laps and, yeah, I made a mistake, stepped over the line and paid the price.”

Start / Finish: 16 / 37
Points Standing / Total: 5th / 423 pts. (-197)

Next Race: Sunday, May 31, Nashville Superspeedway
How to Watch or Listen: 3:00 p.m. ET on Prime, SiriusXM or MRN

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