Elliott Earns 15th-Place Finish after Up-and-Down Day at Iowa

• The NASCAR Cup Series kicked off race weekend at Iowa Speedway with a 50-minute practice session. Chase Elliott got loose and spun in practice, which resulted in damage to the No. 9 NAPA Auto Parts Chevrolet. The team made enough repairs to send Elliott back out for practice and qualifying.
• Following a 32nd-place qualifying effort, the team made additional repairs to the No. 9 NAPA Auto Parts Chevy, which required Elliott to start Sunday’s race from the rear of the field.
• Elliott finished the first stage in 30th. Strategy in the second stage allowed Elliott to lead some laps, but a lengthy pit stop under caution put him deeper in the field once again. He ultimately finished stage two in 27th.
• In the final stage, a long green-flag run worked in the team’s favor. Elliott visited pit road much earlier than the rest of the field, a move that helped him score a 15th-place finish.
• The 2020 Cup Series champion is now seventh in the standings with just three races remaining until The Chase.

The NASCAR Cup Series kicked off race weekend at Iowa Speedway with a 50-minute practice session. Chase Elliott was making laps in the No. 9 NAPA Auto Parts Chevy when he got loose and spun, making contact with the wall. Elliott’s Chevy sustained damage to the left side, but the team was able to make enough repairs to send Elliott back out for practice and qualifying. Following a 32nd-place qualifying effort, the team made additional repairs to the No. 9 NAPA Auto Parts Chevy, which required Elliott to start Sunday’s race from the rear of the field.

From the drop of the green flag, Elliott tried to advance his position. When an incident on lap four brought out the caution, he was scored 33rd. He restarted 30th on lap 13 and dropped to 32nd but managed to rebound to 30th to end the 70-lap first stage over the course of a long green-flag run. The No. 9 NAPA Auto Parts Chevy was the first car one lap down, so Elliott was awarded the free pass under the stage-ending caution.

After pitting for four tires, fuel and adjustments, Elliott took the green flag for the second stage from 30th and improved to 25th before the yellow flag was displayed for an incident on lap 91. To gain track position, crew chief Alan Gustafson made the call to stay out while the rest of the field visited pit road. This allowed Elliott to restart from the lead on lap 98. A multi-car incident slowed the race almost immediately after the restart. Elliott was still scored as the leader at the time of the caution. He led the field back to green on lap 104 and remained out front until another competitor was able to work his way by on lap 108. When another caution came out on lap 140, Elliott was scored in the third position. He brought the No. 9 NAPA Auto Parts Chevrolet to the attention of his crew for four fresh tires and fuel. Unfortunately, there was an issue on the left side during the pit stop, which ultimately put Elliott back in 28th for the restart. He raced as high as 26th before ultimately ending the second stage in 27th.

To try to gain track position, the team opted not to have Elliott visit pit road under the stage break. Like last time, the move put Elliott at the front for the restart. The 30-year-old driver led the field back to green for the final stage on lap 219. He maintained a top-10 running position for several laps until dropping to 11th on lap 248. Just five laps later, Gustafson called Elliott to pit road for the team’s final stop of the race, much earlier than others would need to pit. Elliott returned to the track with four fresh tires and was only one lap down, coming off pit road just ahead of the leader. The stage continued to go caution-free, and eventually the rest of the field began making their scheduled green-flag stops. This allowed Elliott to steadily gain ground. He reached the top 20 on lap 309 and moved into the top 15 as the laps wound down. When the checkered flag waved, Elliott was scored with a 15th-place finish.

With just three races remaining before The Chase gets underway, Elliott sits seventh in the Cup Series points standings.

Start / Finish: 32 / 15
Points Standing / Total: 7th / 657 pts. (-266)

Next Race: Saturday, August 15, Richmond Raceway
How to Watch or Listen: 7:00 p.m. ET on USA, SiriusXM or MRN

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