Chase Elliott Michigan International Speedway Preview

24 IN THE 24: This weekend at Michigan marks a milestone of sorts for Chase Elliott – it will be his 24th points-paying race in the No. 24 Chevrolet SS for Hendrick Motorsports. The rookie driver started the season strong after taking over the No. 24 at Daytona International Speedway in February. He is the reigning Daytona 500 pole sitter, he is the top-ranked rookie and can boast the eighth-most top-10 finishes among all drivers heading into his 24th points-paying race in the No. 24. Once he completes his 24th race at Michigan, there will only be 12 races remaining in his rookie season – nine of the 12 tracks he will compete at for the second time this year.

SEASON STANDINGS: Elliott currently sits 12th in the standings with 588 points. The rookie trails leader Kevin Harvick by 174 markers. The 20-year-old is younger than any other driver currently inside the top 16 – the amount of drivers NASCAR takes into its playoffs – while also being the highest ranked rookie.

TOP-RANKED ROOKIE: Elliott leads the 2016 Rookie of the Year contender standings heading into Michigan International Speedway by 48 points over second-place Ryan Blaney and 68 points over third-place Chris Buescher. Elliott has accumulated a total of 248 rookie points this year through the first 23 points-paying races.

ICYMI: @Hendrick24Team pit crew held an impromptu chat with fans during the rain delay Saturday night @BMSupdates!https://t.co/EeuNfuuGbp

— NAPA Racing (@NAPARacing) August 24, 2016

TURTLE POWER: On Thursday, Aug. 25, Elliott will be in Chicago, Ill., for his final victory tour of the season. Elliott will participate in an exclusive fan autograph session alongside the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles at the John G. Shedd Aquarium at noon local time before talking with media around the Windy City. Together, Elliott and the turtles will preview the first race in the Chase – the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 400 – while highlighting various activities that will take place throughout the weekend. At Chicagoland Speedway for the race weekend, Elliott will also appear in the Green Flag Garage for a question-and-answer session with fans.

CHASE UNIVERSITY: This past weekend Elliott announced “Chase University” – a ticket-package program for collegiate fans looking to join in a unique NASCAR experience at Charlotte Motor Speedway. “Chase University” will feature concerts, food, beverages and tailgating games before, during and after the Bank of America 500. The 20-year-old driver will make an appearance on race day taking part in a cornhole challenge with select ticket holders. Students with a valid college ID can enroll in “Chase University” with a special $24 party pass available online or by calling 1-800-455-FANS (3267).

Driver Quotes | Chase Elliott

“Our guys have been working really hard these past few weeks. Everybody is fired up at Hendrick Motorsports, Mr. Hendrick himself is fired up – he has been around the shop a lot. We are all just trying to give it the best effort we can to try and make the most of these next 13 weeks. We’re all working hard and everyone is all in. Hopefully, Michigan will be a step in the right direction. It’s hard to believe I’ve run 24 races already this year, but I’m excited to get back to Michigan. It’s always been a place I enjoy going to. We have some family and friends up there that I enjoy seeing. I also have fun memories of going to watch my Dad run up there every year. It’s definitely a special place for me – I like it. Obviously, it depends on how you run to determine whether or not you like it as much that day or not. We had a fast car there the first trip, which doesn’t mean it’s going to be fast again, but you hope that we can take what we learned and try to improve upon that and take back something better.” –Chase Elliott on Michigan International Speedway

NASCAR Michigan International Speedway TV Schedule (August Race; all times ET)

Friday, August 26
12:00 noon – Sprint Cup Practice on NBCSN
5:00 pm – Sprint Cup Qualifying on NBCSN

Saturday, August 27
8:30 am – Sprint Cup Practice on CNBC
11:30 am – Sprint Cup Final Practice on CNBC

Sunday, August 28
2:00 pm – Sprint Cup Race on NBCSN

NAPA: @NAPARacing
Chase Elliott: @ChaseElliott
Hendrick Motorsports: @TeamHendrick
No. 24 Team: @Hendrick24Team