Elliott Earns Top-10 Finish at Nashville

• Chase Elliott and the No. 9 NAPA Auto Parts team started Sunday’s NASCAR Cup Series race at Nashville Superspeedway in 29th after qualifying was canceled due to weather.
• The 30-year-old driver managed to score points in the first stage, finishing fourth after a two-tire pit strategy call. He nearly scored points in stage two, ending it in 12th.
• In the final stage, Elliott spent several laps inside the top six. He restarted fourth following a late caution and was racing three-wide for a top-five finish coming to the checkered flag on the final lap. He finished seventh before being involved in a multi-car incident just past the finish line.
• Elliott improved to fourth in the Cup Series point standings, 197 markers behind the leader

Chase Elliott and the No. 9 NAPA Auto Parts team started Sunday’s NASCAR Cup Series race at Nashville Superspeedway in 29th after qualifying was canceled due to weather and the starting lineup was set by the metric. After rain delayed the start of the 300-lap event, the green flag finally waved. The No. 9 NAPA Auto Parts Chevrolet showed speed early, with Elliott driving to 20th ahead of the lap-35 competition caution. After pitting for four tires, fuel and an air-pressure adjustment, Elliott restarted just outside the top 20 due to some teams taking two tires. He improved to 16th just prior to an incident bringing out the yellow flag on lap 72. Crew chief Alan Gustafson made the call for right-side tires and fuel. The strategy put Elliott on the second row for the restart, and he drove on to finish the first stage in fourth on lap 90.

During the stage break, the team opted to pit for four tires and fuel. Due to varying pit strategies, Elliott lined up 31st to start the second stage on lap 99. Again, the No. 9 NAPA Auto Parts Chevy showed speed. Elliott maneuvered to 23rd prior to green-flag pit stops beginning on lap 138. Having pitted more recently than others, Elliott was able to remain on track longer. He was running in second when a timely caution came out on lap 145. After pitting for four tires and fuel, Elliott restarted second on lap 151 and was running in that same position when the race was slowed for a caution on lap 173. The team opted for a four-tire pit stop, and Elliott restarted 14th on lap 182. He improved two positions to finish stage two in 12th on lap 185.

After staying out under the stage-ending caution, Elliott started the final segment in sixth. The Dawsonville, Georgia, native remained inside the top six through three caution periods. He restarted sixth on lap 221 and quickly improved to fourth, where he remained until green-flag pit stops got underway on lap 257. Elliott pitted from the lead on lap 261 for his final stop for four tires and fuel. He returned to the track in 17th and was back up to fifth when an incident brought out a caution on lap 288. Staying out, Elliott restarted fourth on lap 297 and was racing three-wide for a top-five finish coming to the checkered flag on the final lap. He finished seventh before being involved in a multi-car incident just past the finish line.

“It was just green-white-checkered craziness, as always,” Elliott said after the finish. “I was glad to see Tyler (Reddick) get out there at the end. I know that had to have been a big hit. I had my hands full. Ryan (Blaney) tried to give me a shove to the line and I was just out of shape, so it was certainly nothing intentional at all. It was nice to get our No. 9 NAPA Chevy back on the tracks. It’s been a rough month or so, I would say, since Texas (Motor Speedway), so it was nice to get a top-[10] finish. Hopefully we can build on this from here.”

Start / Finish: 29 / 7
Points Standing / Total: 4th / 460 pts. (-197)

Next Race: Sunday, June 7, Michigan International Speedway
How to Watch or Listen: 3:00 p.m. ET on Prime, SiriusXM or MRN

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