Chase Elliott, NAPA Bring Points Lead To Home Track Atlanta
MOORESVILLE, N.C. (Aug. 26, 2014) – In a rookie season full of firsts, Chase Elliott finally gets a weekend of familiarity.
The NASCAR Nationwide Series will make its first and only stop of the season at Atlanta Motor Speedway with the running of the Great Clips 300 Saturday night. Elliott is from Dawsonville, Ga., just 80 miles north of the speedway. His sponsor, NAPA AUTO PARTS, is headquartered just 40 miles away in Atlanta. Together, it’s a homecoming for just about everyone involved with the No. 9 NAPA Racing team, which enters the weekend as the series points leader. Elliott will spend the week leading up to the race enjoying the company of friends and family.
The Elliott name is synonymous with Atlanta Motor Speedway, as Chase’s dad, Bill, scored five of his 44 career victories at that track. But interestingly enough, Chase has never raced there. His only experience in a car at Atlanta was this past July when he gave pace car rides to Great Clips customers. So like he’s done at many other tracks this year, Elliott’s visit to Atlanta Motor Speedway will be his first as a competitor. That said, he’s performed well on 1.5-mile speedways. Two of his three wins this year have come on 1.5-mile layouts similar to Atlanta – Texas Motor Speedway and Chicagoland Speedway – and both were his first visits.
With 10 races to go, Elliott has a 13-point advantage over teammate Regan Smith in the driver standings. Elliott also leads Ty Dillon by 50 points in the Sunoco Rookie of the Year standings.
Saturday’s Great Clips 300 will start at 7 p.m. ET and be broadcasted live on ESPN2 and PRN/Sirius XM.
Driver Quotes | Chase Elliott
On racing close to home:
“It’s always exciting to race around home, and anytime you can do that it’s definitely one of the places you want to shine. There’s no question this is one of the dates I’ve been most excited for all season long. Who doesn’t want to do well in front of their friends and family? I’m really looking forward to the weekend. This will be big.”
On Atlanta Motor Speedway:
“Unfortunately, I don’t think my pace car laps last month count as ‘experience’ at Atlanta, so I don’t really know what to expect. I have a lot of good information to lean on through my teammates and crew chief at JR Motorsports, and that’s what I plan to do until I’m able to turn some laps myself. It’s a historic track. I’ve been there many times, so I’m really looking forward to finally racing on it.”
For Chase Elliott Merchandise, please visit www.NAPAChase.com
MEDIA INFORMATION
TV: ESPN2 (7:00 pm ET)
RADIO: PRN & Sirius XM Ch 90 (7:00 pm ET)
FIRST PRACTICE: 8/29, 4:00 pm-5:00 pm ET (FOX Sports 1)
FINAL PRACTICE: 8/29, 5:30 pm-6:50 pm ET (FOX Sports 1)
QUALIFYING: 8/30, 4:10 pm ET (FOX Sports 2)
GREEN FLAG: 8/30, 7:30 pm ET (ESPN2)
2014 NATIONWIDE SERIES DRIVER POINTS
1. Chase Elliott 834
2. Regan Smith -13
3. Ty Dillon-30
4. Elliott Sadler-42
5. Brian Scott-51
2014 SUNOCO ROOKIE OF THE YEAR POINTS
1. Chase Elliott-283
2. Ty Dillon.-50
3. Chris Buescher-86
4. Dylan Kwasniewski-134
5. Ryan Reed-138
Atlanta/Indy TV Listings
Friday, August 29
2:30 PM NASCAR Sprint Cup Series PracticeFOX Sports 1
4:00 PM NASCAR Nationwide Series PracticeFOX Sports 1
5:30 PM NASCAR Nationwide Series Final PracticeFOX Sports 1
7:10 PMNASCAR Sprint Cup Series Qualifying FOX Sports 1
Saturday, August 30
9:30 AMNASCAR Camping World Truck PracticeNO TV
11:35 AMNASCAR Camping World Truck Final PracticeNO TV
3:00 PM NASCAR Sprint Cup Series PracticeFOX Sports 2
4:10 PM NASCAR Nationwide Series QualifyingFOX Sports 2
5:40 PMNASCAR Camping World Truck QualifyingNO TV
6:00 PM NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Final PracticeFOX Sports 2
7:30 PM NASCAR Nationwide Series RaceESPN2
Sunday, August 31
1:30 PM NASCAR Camping World Truck RaceFOX Sports 1
7:30 PM NASCAR Sprint Cup Series RaceESPN
11:00 PMNHRA Indy Qualifying (tape delayed)ESPN2
Monday, September 1
NoonNHRA Indy Final Eliminations ESPN2
*All Times Eastern Standard, Please Check Your Local Listing
NAPA AUTO PARTS: @theNAPAnetwork
CHASE ELLIOTT: @ChaseElliott
ELLIOT MABE: @ElliotMabe9
JR MOTORSPORTS: @JRMotorsports