Elliott Earns Top-5 Finish in New Hampshire Playoff Race

• Chase Elliott and the No. 9 NAPA Auto Parts team qualified in 27th for Sunday’s NASCAR Cup Series playoff race at New Hampshire Motor Speedway.
• Elliott steadily improved his position in stage one, finishing 16th, and followed it with a seventh-place result in stage two.
• The 29-year-old driver continued to turn laps inside the top 10 for most of the final stage, ultimately scoring a fifth-place finish in the race.
• Elliott leaves New Hampshire seventh in the playoff standings, 14 points above the cutline with two races left in the Round of 12.

Chase Elliott and the No. 9 NAPA Auto Parts team started Sunday’s NASCAR Cup Series playoff race at New Hampshire Motor Speedway in the 27th position. Despite losing some spots on the opening lap, Elliott’s No. 9 NAPA Auto Parts Chevrolet showed speed in stage one. The Dawsonville, Georgia, native was up to 19th when the first caution of the day came out on lap 64. After pitting for four tires and fuel, Elliott restarted 16th and remained there to finish the first stage on lap 70.

Staying out under the stage-ending caution, Elliott was 16th to choose his lane for the start of the second stage, opting for the inside. He was scored 14th when an incident brought out the yellow flag on lap 82. The team chose not to pit, and Elliott lined up 14th for the restart. He was 13th when another caution came out on lap 110. Crew chief Alan Gustafson called Elliott in for four fresh tires and fuel. He restarted 14th on lap 118 and continued to race inside the top 15. The team took the opportunity to pit for right-side tires and fuel when the race was slowed for a caution on lap 147. Elliott was eighth off pit road and restarted from the outside of row five on lap 154. He advanced to seventh on lap 158, and that’s where he would finish the stage when the green-and-white checkered flag waved on lap 185.

Elliott visited pit road for fuel and four fresh tires during the stage break. He took the green flag for the final stage from the outside of row four on lap 193 and quickly advanced to fourth. Elliott remained in the top five until lap 201 and was running in seventh when green-flag pit stops got underway on lap 232. The 29-year-old driver remained on track, eventually taking over the lead on lap 241. Gustafson called Elliott in on lap 244 for what would be the team’s final stop of the race. Elliott returned to the track with his fresh tires in the 12th position. He was up to 11th when the yellow flag was displayed on lap 253. Having pitted more recently than the cars ahead of him, Elliott and the No. 9 team opted not to visit pit road. The 2020 Cup Series champion lined up second for the lap-260 restart. He continued to hold strong inside the top five for the remainder of the race, ultimately taking the checkered flag in the fifth position.

“The day was good for the No. 9 NAPA Chevy team,” Elliott said after the race. “Just hate we had to not pit for track position because you want to be up there in the mix. But the way it all worked out, we got some stage points there in stage two and got a good result with a top-five finish. We’ll go to Kansas (Speedway) and try it again.” Asked if his points cushion gave him extra confidence heading into the next race, Elliott replied, “No, there’s no such thing as being safe in this deal. We’ll just lay it out there again next weekend and hope for the best.”

Elliott leaves New Hampshire seventh in the playoff standings, 14 points above the cutline with two races remaining in the Round of 12.

Start / Finish: 27 / 5
Points Standing / Total: 7th / +14 above cutline

Next Race: Sunday, Sept. 28, Kansas Speedway
How to Watch or Listen: 3:00 p.m. ET on USA, SiriusXM or MRN

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