Elliott Battles Through Adversity for Top-20 Finish at Sonoma
- Chase Elliott and the No. 9 NAPA Auto Parts team qualified 18th for Sunday’s NASCAR Cup Series race at Sonoma Raceway.
- Elliott steadily improved his position in the early portion of the race, nearly reaching the top 10 prior to flipping the first stage by pitting on lap 22 and finishing 19th on lap 25.
- The 30-year-old driver started stage two within the top 10 and remained there until again pitting ahead of the end of the stage, ultimately taking the green-and-white checkered flag in 18th on lap 55.
- In the final stage, Elliott went off track to avoid a car that spun ahead of him, which dropped him to 15th. Shortly after, Elliott spun but was able to avoid damage and continued. He pitted from 28th on lap 79. From there, he advanced to 17th to finish the 110-lap race.
Chase Elliott and the No. 9 NAPA Auto Parts team qualified 18th for Sunday’s NASCAR Cup Series race at Sonoma Raceway. From the drop of the green flag, Elliott’s No. 9 NAPA Auto Parts Chevrolet showed speed. He improved to 11th on lap 22 and was happy overall with his Chevy’s handling. Crew chief Alan Gustafson called Elliott to pit road for four fresh tires, fuel and an air-pressure adjustment on lap 22, flipping the stage. When the first stage ended on lap 25, the 30-year-old driver was scored with a 19th-place result.
Staying out during the stage break allowed Elliott to start stage two from row four on lap 30. The Dawsonville, Georgia, native continued to race inside the top 10 and pitted from 10th on lap 52 for fuel and four tires, again flipping the stage. Elliott returned to the track inside the top 20, ultimately ending the second stage in 18th on lap 55.
Elliott lined up for the start of the final stage in the fourth row. He was scored in eighth when an incident slowed the race for a caution on lap 61. Staying out, Elliott restarted seventh on lap 64. Shortly after the restart, the driver of the No. 9 Chevrolet had to go off track to avoid a car spinning ahead of him, which dropped him to 15th. Just two laps later, Elliott spun in turn six but was able to avoid damage. He continued in 27th prior to pitting from 28th on lap 79 for four tires and fuel. Elliott battled hard for the remainder of the race, eventually reaching the top 20 on lap 93. He improved to 17th on lap 97, where he held strong to take the checkered flag.
Elliott remains sixth in the Cup Series points standings, now 165 markers behind the leader.
Start / Finish: 18 / 17
Points Standing / Total: 6th / 554 pts. (-165)
Next Race: Sunday, July 5, Chicagoland Speedway
How to Watch or Listen: 6:00 p.m. ET on TNT, SiriusXM or MRN
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 (15), points-paying race victories (320) and laps led (more than 85,000). It has earned at least one race win in a record 41 different seasons, including an active streak of 40 in a row (1986-2025). Headquartered on more than 150 acres in Concord, North Carolina, the team fields four full-time Chevrolet entries in the NASCAR Cup Series, including the No. 9 NAPA Auto Parts Chevrolet driven by 2020 champion Chase Elliott.