Elliott Leads Laps, Finishes 13th in Atlanta

• The Atlanta Motor Speedway race weekend marked the return of the Chase Elliott Foundation’s Desi9n to Drive program for the 10th year in partnership with NAPA Auto Parts and Hendrick Motorsports, benefiting Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta (CHOA).
• Maximus Peace and Noelle Springer, two CHOA patients, designed the paint scheme for the No. 9 NAPA Auto Parts/CHOA Chevrolet as well as Elliott’s uniform.
• Elliott and the No. 9 team qualified seventh for Sunday night’s NASCAR Cup Series race.
• The 30-year-old driver finished the first stage in ninth and followed that up with an 18th-place finish in stage two after a red flag for weather.
• In the final stage, Elliott led laps and narrowly avoided getting collected in a late-race incident, ultimately taking the checkered flag with a 13th-place finish.
• The Dawsonville, Georgia, native remains fifth in the Cup Series points standings.

The Atlanta Motor Speedway race weekend marked the return of the Chase Elliott Foundation’s Desi9n to Drive program for the 10th year in partnership with NAPA Auto Parts and Hendrick Motorsports, benefiting Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta. The baseball-themed designs of CHOA patients Maximus Peace and Noelle Springer were featured on the No. 9 NAPA Auto Parts/CHOA Chevrolet.

Elliott qualified seventh for Sunday’s NASCAR Cup Series race. The No. 9 NAPA Auto Parts/CHOA Chevrolet showed speed early. Elliott remained inside the top 10 for the majority of the first stage of the race, ending it in the ninth position on lap 60. Under the stage-ending caution, Elliott relayed to veteran crew chief Alan Gustafson that his No. 9 NAPA Auto Parts/CHOA Chevrolet was getting better as the track was gripping up.

After pitting for four tires and fuel, Elliott lined up on the inside of row six for the start of the second stage. He made moves to get back inside the top 10, reaching as high as fifth on lap 82. From there, he maintained a top-10 running position and was scored fifth when the red flag was displayed for lightning in the area. Rain eventually enveloped the track, but once it cleared out and the track was dry, the race got back underway. Gustafson called Elliott to pit road under yellow for four tires and fuel. With varying strategies during pit stops, Elliott lined up 11th for the choose, opting for the outside of row six. The field went back to green on lap 124, with Elliott working his way back inside the top 10 in a hurry. As the run went on, the No. 9 NAPA Auto Parts/CHOA Chevy began to lose positions. Elliott was running in 18th when he reported that he went from having a ton of rear grip to not being able to trust it. He continued to fight hard through the remainder of the stage, taking the green-and-white checkered flag just inside the top 20.

During the stage break, the Dawsonville, Georgia, native came to pit road for four tires, fuel and an adjustment to help with handling. He started the final stage in the 17th position on lap 168 and methodically worked his way forward, eventually reaching the top 10 again on lap 189. Elliott was scored 11th when the caution flag came out on lap 194. Under the yellow flag, Elliott relayed positive feedback about the No. 9 NAPA Auto Parts/CHOA Chevy. After pitting for right-side tires and fuel, he restarted from the third row on lap 201 and charged to the front, taking the lead for the first time of the night on lap 208. He continued to towards the front for several laps and paced the field again before losing a little momentum.

The caution flag came out for an incident on lap 232, and the team took the opportunity to pit for four fresh tires and fuel. Elliott restarted 16th on lap 238, but it wasn’t long before the race was slowed for another yellow flag. Staying out under the caution, Elliott was 15th to choose his lane for the restart, opting for the inside of row seven. From there, he powered forward, reaching as high as sixth with less than 10 laps to go before getting shuffled back. He was running inside the top 15 when he narrowly avoided a multi-car incident that sent the race into overtime. Once back to green, Elliott battled hard in the final two laps, ultimately finishing the race in 13th.

Start / Finish: 7 / 13
Points Standing / Total: 5th / 610 pts. (-181)

Next Race: Sunday, July 19, North Wilkesboro Speedway
How to Watch or Listen: 7:00 p.m. ET on TNT, SiriusXM or PRN

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