Elliott Finishes Seventh in Rain-Shortened Coca-Cola 600

• Chase Elliott and the No. 9 NAPA Auto Parts team qualified fifth for the Coca-Cola 600.
• The 28-year-old driver made his 300th NASCAR Cup Series start on Sunday at Charlotte Motor Speedway.
• After finishing the first stage in the 11th position, Elliott improved to seventh to end stage two.
• During the third stage of the scheduled 400-lap event, weather entered the area and ultimately brought an early end to the Coca-Cola 600.
• Elliott and the No. 9 team were scored with a seventh-place result.
• The Dawsonville, Georgia, native is fourth in the Cup Series driver points standings, 17 markers behind the leader.

Chase Elliott and the No. 9 NAPA Auto Parts team qualified fifth for Sunday’s Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway. The 28-year-old driver took the green flag – making his 300th NASCAR Cup Series start – and continued to run inside the top 10 in the opening laps of the race. Prior to the first set of green-flag pit stops, Elliott reported that the NAPA Auto Parts Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 was loose. On lap 43, crew chief Alan Gustafson called Elliott to pit road for four tires, fuel and air-pressure and chassis adjustments. He cycled back to 11th by lap 51 and re-entered the top 10 on lap 83. The Hendrick Motorsports driver advanced one more position before the caution flag was displayed for an on-track incident on lap 87. Under the yellow flag, Elliott visited pit road for four tires, fuel and an air-pressure adjustment. A fast stop by the NAPA crew gained Elliott two positions on pit road, putting him seventh for the lap-94 restart. When the green-and-white checkered flag waved to end stage one at lap 100, the driver of the No. 9 Chevy was scored with an 11th-place finish.

During the stage break, Elliott brought the NAPA Chevy to pit road for four tires and fuel. With varying pit strategies by teams, he took the green flag for stage two from the 14th position on lap 111. After initially losing some track position, the Dawsonville, Georgia, native maneuvered his way back inside the top 15 by lap 116. He reached the 14th position before green-flag pit stops got under way. Gustafson kept Elliott out on the track longer than much of the field before having him come to pit road from the second position on lap 153. When the caution flag came out less than 10 laps later, Elliott was scored in the 22nd position. With Elliott having fresher tires than most due to the team’s strategy during green-flag stops, he stayed out on the track and lined up fourth for the restart on lap 165. From there, he advanced his position and powered to the lead on lap 168. Elliott paced the field for two laps before Hendrick Motorsports teammate William Byron worked his way by on lap 170. The race was slowed at lap 172 for an on-track incident. Again, the No. 9 team opted not to pit. Elliott restarted from the front row on lap 177 and was scored in the seventh spot when another caution came out on lap 197, which ultimately ended the second stage.

After pitting for four tires and fuel, Elliott lined up fourth to start the third stage on lap 207. He maintained a top-10 running position early in the stage, racing in seventh at the time of a caution on lap 229. Elliott brought the NAPA Chevrolet to the attention of the No. 9 crew for fuel and four tires. Restarting from the third row on lap 236, he continued to race inside the top-eight running order. With weather in the area, the race fell under caution for precipitation before it was red flagged for lightning. The rain cleared the area, but the air remained too humid for the track to dry. Consequently, officials were forced to call the race with 249 laps completed. Elliott and the No. 9 NAPA team were credited with a seventh-place result.

Start / Finish: 5 / 7
Points Standing / Total: 4th / 475 pts. (-17)

Next Race: Sunday, June 2, WWT Raceway
How to Watch or Listen: 3:30 p.m. ET on FS1, MRN or SiriusXM

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