Elliott Comes Back from Pit Road Penalty to Finish 18th at Homestead-Miami Speedway
- Chase Elliott and the No. 9 UniFirst team qualified 18th for Sunday’s NASCAR Cup Series race at Homestead-Miami Speedway.
- Elliott finished the first stage in 14th before earning valuable points with an eighth-place finish in the second stage.
- The 29-year-old driver unfortunately received a pit road penalty at the beginning of the final stage but battled back to finish the race in 18th place.
- Elliott is now sixth in the Cup Series points standings, just 63 markers behind the leader.
Chase Elliott and the No. 9 UniFirst team qualified 18th for Sunday’s NASCAR Cup Series race at Homestead-Miami Speedway. In the opening stage of the 267-lap race, the 29-year-old driver advanced to 14th before green-flag pit stops began on lap 31. Elliott stayed on track until crew chief Alan Gustafson called him in for four tires and fuel on lap 39. He was running 16th when the first caution of the race came out on lap 70. After pitting for fresh tires and fuel, Elliott restarted 15th with just five laps remaining in the stage and took the green-and-white checkered flag in 14th on lap 80.
Under the stage-ending caution, Elliott returned to pit road for fresh tires and fuel. He started the second stage in 12th and quickly moved into the top 10. He was holding steady in 10th when green-flag pit stops began. Gustafson called Elliott in for four tires and fuel on lap 118. By the time the pit cycle was completed on lap 128, he had moved up to seventh. From there, he continued racing inside the top 10 and finished the caution-free second stage in eighth on lap 165.
During the stage break, the UniFirst team executed a fast four-tire pit stop that allowed Elliott to leave pit road in seventh. Unfortunately, the Dawsonville, Georgia, native received a penalty for not being single file when entering pit road, forcing him to start the final stage at the back of the pack. Undeterred by the loss of track position, Elliott began working his way through the field. He had climbed to 18th when possible fluid on the track brought out a caution on lap 208. After pitting for four tires and fuel, Elliott restarted 15th on lap 216. He fought hard in the final stint of the race but was unable to gain significant ground, ultimately taking the checkered flag in 18th.
The 2020 Cup Series champion is now sixth in the driver points standings, 63 points behind leader and Hendrick Motorsports teammate William Byron.
Start / Finish: 18 / 18
Points Standing / Total: 6th / 181 pts. (-63)
Next Race: Sunday, March 30, Martinsville Speedway
How to Watch or Listen: 3:00 p.m. ET on FS1, MRN or SiriusXM
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Chase Elliott: @ChaseElliott
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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.