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Damage from Multi-Car Incident Keeps Elliott from Strong Finish at Las Vegas

  • Chase Elliott and the No. 9 NAPA Auto Parts team qualified 18th for Sunday’s NASCAR Cup Series playoff race at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.
  • Elliott finished stage one in 12th and started the second stage from the second row before he was collected in a multi-car incident.
  • Once meeting minimum speed, Elliott took the No. 9 NAPA Auto Parts Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 to the garage for repairs. He returned to the race several laps down and was ultimately scored with a 33rd-place finish.
  • The 28-year-old driver leaves Las Vegas eighth in the playoff standings, 53 points below the elimination line with two races remaining in the Round of 8.

Chase Elliott and the No. 9 NAPA Auto Parts team started Sunday’s NASCAR Cup Series playoff race at Las Vegas Motor Speedway from the 18th position. Once the green flag dropped, it didn’t take Elliott long to start passing cars. By lap 13, he reached the top 10 and remained there until green flag pit stops got under way on lap 33. Crew chief Alan Gustafson called Elliott in for the team’s first pit stop of the day for four tires and fuel on lap 34. A fast stop by the No. 9 NAPA Auto Parts team helped Elliott gain track position. Once pit stops cycled through on lap 41, the 28-year-old driver was running in sixth. He was up to fifth at the time of a caution on lap 64. Under the yellow flag, Elliott reported to his team that the No. 9 NAPA Auto Parts Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 had lost some of its front grip. After pitting for four tires, fuel and a slight adjustment, Elliott was 11th to choose his lane for the restart with some teams having opted to take only two tires. On a chaotic lap-71 restart, Elliott lost some ground but rallied to finish the opening stage in the 12th position on lap 80.

Under the stage-ending caution, Gustafson made the call for right-side tires and fuel, which gave Elliott the chance to start the second stage from the second row on lap 87. The Dawsonville, Georgia, native was battling for position after the restart when he was caught up in a multi-car incident. Elliott came to pit road under the caution multiple times for the team to survey the damage and make repairs. He made it back out on the track with his wounded Chevrolet for the restart and was able to meet minimum speed, clearing the team of the Damaged Vehicle Policy. With the NAPA Chevrolet being extremely difficult to drive due to suspension damage, Elliott took the NAPA Chevy to the garage for additional repairs. He re-entered the race 27 laps down and improved to 26 laps down, finishing stage two in the 33rd position.

In the final stage, the team was hopeful to gain a position or two, but Elliott was ultimately scored with a 33rd-place finish. Elliott leaves Las Vegas eighth in the playoff standings, 53 points below the elimination line with two races remaining in the Round of 8.

“The No. 45 (Tyler Reddick) was coming with a really big run up top. I don’t think Martin (Truex Jr.) knew that, and he was kind of running as if we were two-wide,” Elliott said of the on-track incident. “Once I recognized that there wasn’t going to be enough room, I tried to bail and there was just nowhere to bail. It was too late. I need to sit down and take a look at it to see. I was, personally, just trying to get out of the situation and it was just a little too late at that point. 

It sucks. Our No. 9 NAPA Chevy was really, really good there at the start. It was the best we’ve been out here with this new car.”

Start / Finish: 18 / 33
Points Standing / Total: 8th / 4,018 pts.

Next Race: Sunday, October 27, Homestead-Miami Speedway
How to Watch or Listen: 2:30 p.m. ET on NBC, MRN or SiriusXM

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

Hendrick Motorsports View All

Founded by Rick Hendrick in 1984, Hendrick Motorsports is the winningest team in NASCAR Cup Series history. At the sport’s premier level, the organization holds the all-time records in every major statistical category, including championships (14), points-paying race victories (312) and laps led (more than 82,000). It has earned at least one race win in a record 40 different seasons, including an active streak of 39 in a row (1986-2024). Headquartered in Concord, North Carolina, the team fields four full-time entries in the NASCAR Cup Series, including the No. 9 NAPA Auto Parts Chevrolet driven by 2020 champion Chase Elliott.

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