Elliott Finishes Regular Season Third in Points after 11th-Place Finish at Darlington

• Chase Elliott and the NAPA Gold Filters team qualified 20th for Sunday’s NASCAR Cup Series regular season finale at Darlington Raceway.
• The 2020 Cup Series champion finished stage one in 19th and stage two in 22nd.
• During the final stage of the Southern 500, the team turned laps inside the top 10 before ultimately finishing the race in 11th.
• Elliott finished the regular season third in the standings and collected the eight additional playoff points that go along with it.
• He enters the Round of 16 in the Cup Series playoffs as the seventh seed, nine points above the elimination line.

Chase Elliott and the No. 9 NAPA Gold Filters team qualified 20th for the NASCAR Cup Series regular season finale at Darlington Raceway. After taking the green flag on Sunday afternoon, Elliott improved to 17th before a caution came out on lap three. Opting to stay out, he chose the outside lane for the restart on lap 10. Elliott advanced to 16th and relayed to crew chief Alan Gustafson that he really liked his No. 9 NAPA Gold Filters Chevrolet Camaro ZL1. After pitting for four tires and fuel on lap 36, he cycled back up to the 15th position. He remained there as the long, green-flag run continued. Prior to pitting on lap 76, he radioed that he hurt the rear tires. After getting four fresh tires and fuel, Elliott got back on the track in the 27th position and advanced to 19th before the first stage ended on lap 115.

The 2020 Cup Series champion brought his Chevrolet to the attention of the No. 9 crew for four tires and fuel during the stage break. Elliott was 20th to choose and opted for the bottom lane. He lost a bit of ground during the chaotic restart on lap 123 and was running in 23rd during the long, green-flag run. Once pit stops got under way, Gustafson called Elliott to pit road on lap 151 for four tires and fuel. He cycled back up to 23rd by lap 157 and was running in 24th when teams started making their way to pit road for another round of green-flag stops. After pitting for four tires and fuel on lap 189, he improved to 22nd to end the caution-free second stage on lap 230, but he had unfortunately gone a lap down.

During the stage break, Elliott visited pit road for a fresh set of tires and fuel. He took the green flag for the final stage in 21st on lap 237. By lap 247, he had put himself in position to get the free pass if a caution came out. Alas, the race continued to go green, and teams started making pit stops again. Gustafson called Elliott in on lap 279 for four tires and fuel. He was running in 21st when an on-track incident brought out the caution on lap 313, but he was still trapped a lap down. After reporting that the NAPA Gold Filters Chevy was tight, he brought the No. 9 to pit road for four tires, fuel and a chassis adjustment. Elliott chose the top lane for the restart and raced to become the first car one lap down prior to another caution on lap 321. After receiving the free pass, he visited pit road for four tires and fuel. The 28-year-old driver restarted in 20th on lap 328 and was in that same position when another yellow flag slowed the race. This time, the team pitted for four tires, fuel and another chassis adjustment. Elliott took the green flag in 20th and was gaining positions on the track when another caution came out for a multi-car incident on lap 344. He avoided the incident and was scored inside the top 15 under the yellow. The team chose to stay out and save a set of tires in case of another caution. Elliott was the seventh driver to choose his lane for the restart and opted for the outside. He battled hard to fend off cars on fresher tires in the final caution-free laps and ultimately took the checkered flag in the 11th position.

The result was good enough for Elliott to secure third place in the regular season standings. He was awarded eight playoff points for the accomplishment and enters the Cup Series playoffs as the seventh seed, nine points above the elimination line.

Start / Finish: 20 / 11
Points Standing / Total: 7th / 2,014 pts.

Next Race: Sunday, Sept. 8, Atlanta Motor Speedway
How to Watch or Listen: 3:00 p.m. ET on USA, PRN or SiriusXM

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