Elliott Earns Third-Place Finish at Phoenix Raceway

• Chase Elliott and the No. 9 Kelley Blue Book team qualified 16th for Sunday’s NASCAR Cup Series race at Phoenix Raceway.
• Elliott’s No. 9 Kelley Blue Book 100th Anniversary Chevrolet showed speed throughout the 312-lap event, with the driver placing seventh in stage one and 10th in stage two.
• In the final stage, Elliott lined up on the front row for a late-race restart after staying out under the caution. He held strong inside the top five, taking the checkered flag in third.
• The 30-year-old driver improved to 10th in the Cup Series standings with just three races remaining in The Chase.

Chase Elliott and the No. 9 Kelley Blue Book team qualified 16th for Sunday’s NASCAR Cup Series race at Phoenix Raceway. Once the green flag waved, Elliott advanced to 14th, where he remained until the first caution of the race came out on lap 44. Under the yellow flag, crew chief Alan Gustafson called Elliott in for right-side tires and fuel. The 30-year-old driver restarted from the fourth position on lap 51 and remained inside the top 10, ending the first stage in seventh on lap 60.

Under the stage-ending caution, there was a mix of two-tire and four-tire pit stops throughout the field. The No. 9 team opted for four fresh tires and fuel, which put Elliott 12th to start stage two on lap 69. Back under green, Elliott held steady inside the top 13. He was scored 12th when green-flag pit stops got underway on lap 120. Gustafson called Elliott in on lap 123 for four fresh tires and fuel. A fast stop put Elliott inside the top 10 once the field cycled through green-flag stops. He was running ninth when an incident slowed the race on lap 157. Elliott reported that he hurt his rears and that the nose of the No. 9 Kelley Blue Book 100th Anniversary Chevrolet was lazier than it had been in practice. The team opted to make an air-pressure adjustment during the pit stop for four tires and fuel. Elliott was eighth to choose his lane for the lap-164 restart, opting for the inside of row four. He continued to battle inside the top 10, taking the green-and-white checkered flag to end stage two in 10th on lap 185.

During the stage break, Elliott reported that his balance was better, so the team opted to do another air-pressure adjustment during the four-tire pit stop. Another fast stop put Elliott seventh for the choose. He opted for the outside of row four for the lap-194 restart and was running ninth when the caution flag came out on lap 222. After pitting for four tires and fuel, he restarted seventh on lap 231 and continued to hold strong inside the top 10 during a long green-flag run. When green-flag pit stops got underway on lap 263, he was in the eighth position. Elliott brought his No. 9 Kelley Blue Book 100th Anniversary Chevrolet to the attention of his crew for fuel and four fresh tires on lap 271. He was scored ninth when an incident brought out the caution on lap 282. Elliott and the No. 9 team opted not to pit under the yellow flag, a call that allowed Elliott to restart from the front row on lap 294. The 2020 Cup Series champion battled hard in the closing laps to take the checkered flag in the third position.

With the top-five finish, Elliott improved to 10th in the Cup Series Chase standings with just three races remaining.

Start / Finish: 16 / 3
Points Standing / Total: 10th / 2,221 pts. (-149)

Next Race: Sunday, October 25, Talladega Superspeedway
How to Watch or Listen: 2:00 p.m. ET on NBC, SiriusXM or MRN

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