Elliott Earns 12th-Place Finish at Naval Base Coronado

• Chase Elliott and the No. 9 NAPA Gold Filters team took to Naval Base Coronado for the first time on Friday, finishing NASCAR Cup Series practice 21st on the speed chart.
• The 30-year-old driver qualified 30th on Saturday for Sunday’s 75-lap Cup Series event.
• Elliott finished the first stage in 22nd and overcame a pit road penalty to finish stage two in 15th.
• In the final stage, Elliott rebounded from getting turned to advance to 12th to end the race.

NASCAR made its first trip to Naval Base Coronado over the weekend to take on a 3.4-mile street course. Chase Elliott and the No. 9 NAPA Gold Filters team took to the track for the first time on Friday afternoon for NASCAR Cup Series practice, where they were 21st on the speed chart. They followed that up with Saturday’s qualifying session, where Elliott posted the 30th fastest time. On Sunday afternoon, Elliott began advancing his position at the drop of the green flag, reaching 26th by lap four. As the run went on, the 30-year-old driver reported that he hurt his rear tires, dropping to 28th ahead of pitting on lap eight for four tires and fuel. Upon leaving the box, the No. 9 NAPA Gold Filters Chevy stalled, but Elliott was able to get it re-fired. He returned to the track in 38th and was up to 33rd when the caution came out on lap 11. Staying out, Elliott restarted 28th and advanced to 22nd before the yellow flag waved on lap 18. With the first stage ultimately ending under caution, Elliott posted a 22nd-place result.

Under the stage-ending caution, Elliott came to pit road for four fresh tires and fuel. Unfortunately, the team was hit with a pit road penalty for a crew member over the wall too soon. Elliott restarted from the tail of the field on lap 23. He was up to 29th when the caution came out on lap 29. After pitting for four fresh tires and fuel, Elliott restarted from 28th. A multi-car incident quickly brought another yellow flag. Elliott avoided the melee and restarted 23rd on lap 34. Towards the end of the stage, some teams opted to pit under the green flag. Elliott remained on the track, advancing to 15th before the green-and-white checkered flag waved to end stage two on lap 40.

After pitting for four tires and fuel, Elliott lined up 29th for the final stage on lap 43. He was scored in 30th when the caution came out shortly after the restart. Staying out, he restarted 27th on lap 46. He was up to 24th, when he got spun on lap 48 but was able to continue on. He advanced to 27th ahead of green-flag pit stops on lap 50. Elliott remained on track until pitting on lap 59 for fuel and four tires. The very next lap, the caution came out, changing up the strategy. Several cars came to pit road, allowing Elliott to restart from the seventh row on lap 64. Elliott advanced as high as eighth but received some damage. He continued to fight hard, taking the checkered flag in 12th.

Start / Finish: 30 / 12
Points Standing / Total: 6th / 534 pts. (-182)

Next Race: Sunday, June 28, Sonoma Raceway
How to Watch or Listen: 3:30 p.m. ET on TNT, SiriusXM or PRN

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