Elliott Battles Adversity after Strong Start at North Wilkesboro

• The NASCAR Cup Series held its first points race at North Wilkesboro Speedway since 1996 over the weekend.
• Qualifying was cancelled due to weather, and the starting lineup was set according to the metric, with Chase Elliott and the No. 9 LLumar Chevrolet gridded 10th for Sunday’s race.
• Elliott had a strong Chevrolet, finishing the first stage in seventh. In the second stage, he raced as high as second but got caught a lap down, along with several others, after a caution came out in the middle of green-flag pit stops.
• The 30-year-old driver fought hard for the remainder of the race, but with long green-flag runs, he never made it back onto the lead lap, ultimately finishing 17th.
• Elliott remains fifth in the Cup Series standings, 208 points behind the leader.

The NASCAR Cup Series held its first points race at North Wilkesboro Speedway since 1996 over the weekend. Qualifying was cancelled due to weather, and the starting lineup was set according to the metric, with Chase Elliott and the No. 9 LLumar Chevrolet gridded 10th for Sunday night’s race.

When the green flag waved, Elliott immediately began gaining positions, taking over seventh on lap eight. He was battling three-wide for sixth when the first caution of the night came out on lap 39. Elliott reported his balance was OK but that the No. 9 LLumar Chevrolet could get a little tight at times. Crew chief Alan Gustafson called Elliott to pit road for four fresh tires and fuel. With some teams taking two tires, Elliott was 10th to choose his lane for the restart, opting for the inside of row five. He reached seventh on lap 72 and was battling for sixth as the stage ended on lap 80, ultimately finishing seventh.

Under the stage-ending caution, Elliott reported similar feedback to the previous run. This time, the team opted to make an air-pressure adjustment during its pit stop for fuel and four tires. Elliott took the green flag for stage two from sixth on lap 92. He quickly advanced inside the top five and continued to gain positions, taking over second on lap 133. When green-flag pit stops got underway on lap 173, Elliott was scored in fourth. He remained on track until Gustafson called him to pit road for a fresh set of tires and fuel on lap 180. Just a couple of laps later, the yellow flag was displayed for an on-track incident, trapping several drivers, including Elliott, a lap down. He restarted in 22nd on lap 193 and tried to reach the free pass position before the end of the stage but came up a few spots short, taking the green-and-white checkered flag in 21st.

During the stage break, Elliott brought the No. 9 LLumar Chevrolet to the attention of his crew for four tires, fuel and a chassis adjustment. He took the green flag for the final stage from 21st and improved to 19th before green-flag pit stops began on lap 359. The team opted to keep Elliott out on the track, finally calling him in on lap 399. The late pit stop gave Elliott a bit of a tire advantage as the race continued to go caution-free. He pressed forward, improving from 29th to 17th to end the race.

Start / Finish: 10 / 17
Points Standing / Total: 5th / 634 pts. (-208)

Next Race: Sunday, July 16, Indianapolis Motor Speedway
How to Watch or Listen: 2:00 p.m. ET on TNT or SiriusXM

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