Chase Elliott 2014: Exceptional Performance from NAPA Team at Mid-Season
MOORESVILLE, N.C. (July 8, 2014) – NAPA AUTO PARTS driver Chase Elliott will compete in race No. 17 of 33 in the NASCAR Nationwide schedule this Saturday at New Hampshire Motor Speedway, officially marking the halfway point of his rookie season.
Up to this point Elliott has performed exceptionally well. Through 16 races he has two victories, seven top-5s and 11 top-10s. He also has led 120 laps and completed all but 26 of the 2,784 laps in the Nationwide Series, good for a 99% lap completion. In early April he took over the lead in the point standings – a position he held for five consecutive weeks – making him the youngest driver to lead in the Nationwide Series.
Elliott and the NAPA team enter the New Hampshire weekend third in the standings, 15 points behind leader Regan Smith, his teammate, and just three points behind second-place Elliott Sadler. Fellow rookie Ty Dillon, who is just 17 points behind Elliott, could factor into the championship picture as well as the series heads into a pivotal stretch of summer races. NAPA crew chief Greg Ives is all too familiar with the pressures that come with the second-half grind. He won five championships in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series as the engineer on Jimmie Johnson’s No. 48 team.
New Hampshire Motor Speedway is a one-mile oval, which Elliott has made three K&N Pro Series East starts at. His average start there is 10.6 with an average finish of 8.6. The Sta-Green 200 begins at 3 p.m. ET on ESPN2.
Elliott enters the weekend leading the Sunoco Rookie of the Year standings with a 37-point advantage over Dillon.
Driver Quotes | Chase Elliott
On the 2014 Season:
“Everybody has been working hard this year, and it’s crazy to think we’re already halfway through the season. We’re all going to keep pushing and try to improve on where we currently are to be in prime condition to make a championship run. We’ll be seeing a lot of tracks we’ve already been to this year, so that will certainly help us achieve our goals.”
On New Hampshire Motor Speedway:
“I feel like it’s definitely a plus to have run a couple races there rather than not experience a track like Loudon. It’s a fun place to go to. I wouldn’t really call it a short track but it does have a unique feel to it.”
NASCAR Nationwide Series TV Schedule
All times Eastern Standard Time (EST)
Friday, July 11
1:10 PM NASCAR Nationwide Series Loudon Practice FOX Sports 1
3:00 PM NASCAR Nationwide Series Final Loudon Practice FOX Sports 1
Saturday, July 12
10:10 AM NASCAR Nationwide Series Loudon Qualifying FOX Sports 1
3:30 PM NASCAR Nationwide Series Loudon Race ESPN2
RADIO: PRN & Sirius XM Ch 90 (3:00 pm EST)
2014 Nationwide Series Driver Points
1. Regan Smith………………………………………… 577
2. Elliott Sadler…………………………………………. -12
3. Chase Elliott…………………………………………. -15
4. Ty Dillon……………………………………………… -32
5. Brian Scott…………………………………………… -54
2014 Sunoco Rookie of the Year Points
1. Chase Elliott………………………………………… 223
2. Ty Dillon……………………………………………… -37
3. Chris Buescher………………………………………. -78
4. Ryan Reed……………………………………………. -97
5. Dylan Kwasniewski………………………………… -104
NAPA AUTO PARTS:@theNAPAnetwork
CHASE ELLIOTT:@ChaseElliott
JR MOTORSPORTS: @JRMotorsports