Elliott Overcomes Damage to Finish 22nd in Season Finale

• Chase Elliott and the No. 9 NAPA Auto Parts team qualified seventh for Sunday’s NASCAR Cup Series race at Homestead-Miami Speedway.
• Elliott earned points in each of the first two stages, finishing 10th in stage one and eighth in stage two.
• Coming to pit road following stage two, the field had a major stack-up. The No. 9 NAPA Auto Parts Chevrolet unfortunately sustained nose damage.
• The team made repairs over multiple pit stops under the yellow flag. Elliott ultimately finished the race in 22nd.
• The 30-year-old driver ended the season 12th in the Cup Series points standings.

Chase Elliott and the No. 9 NAPA Auto Parts team qualified seventh for Sunday’s NASCAR Cup Series race at Homestead-Miami Speedway. Elliott faded to 14th early in the race, reporting that he had “zero front tires.” As the run went on, he improved to 12th before the first round of green-flag pit stops got underway. Crew chief Alan Gustafson called Elliott in on lap 35 for four tires, fuel and an adjustment. He was back inside the top 12 once pit stops cycled through. When a caution brought an early end to the stage, Elliott was scored with a 10th-place finish.

During the stage break, Elliott came to pit road for four tires and fuel. He restarted 10th on lap 89 and held steady within the top 15 until another round of green-flag pit stops began. He brought the No. 9 NAPA Auto Parts Chevrolet to pit road for fuel and fresh tires on lap 121. By lap 127, Elliott was running ninth. He improved one more spot to finish stage two in eighth.

Coming to pit road under the stage-ending caution, the field had a major stack-up. Elliott’s No. 9 NAPA Auto Parts Chevrolet unfortunately suffered damage to the nose. The team made repairs over multiple pit stops under the yellow flag. Elliott lined up 25th to start the final stage on lap 174. Over the course of the run, he didn’t make much progress, reporting a tight-handling condition. Elliott went a lap down as a long green-flag run ensued. He visited pit road on lap 221 for four tires, fuel and an adjustment and was up to 21st when an incident brought out the caution on lap 253. The team opted to take the wave around to get back on the lead lap. Elliott ultimately finished 22nd with his damaged Chevrolet.

Start / Finish: 7 / 22
Final Points Standing / Total: 12th / 2,287 pts. (-214)

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