Elliott Improves to Fifth in Standings after Top-12 Finish at Chicagoland

• The NASCAR Cup Series returned to Chicagoland Speedway for the first time since 2019.
• Following Friday’s 50-minute practice, Chase Elliott and the No. 9 NAPA Auto Parts team posted the ninth-fastest lap in Saturday afternoon’s qualifying session.
• In Sunday’s race, the 30-year-old driver finished the first stage in 15th and followed that up with a seventh-place result in the second stage.
• During the final stage, Elliott spent many laps inside the top 10 before ultimately taking the checkered flag in 11th.
• With the finish, Elliott advanced to the third round of the NASCAR In-Season Challenge by placing ahead of Michael McDowell.
• The 2020 Cup Series champion also improved to fifth in the points standings.

Over the weekend, the NASCAR Cup Series visited Chicagoland Speedway for the first time since 2019. Chase Elliott took to the track on Friday afternoon in the No. 9 NAPA Auto Parts Patriotic Chevrolet for practice and followed that up with a ninth-place qualifying effort on Saturday afternoon.

The field barely got up to speed in Sunday’s race before the first caution came out on lap one. Elliott was scored in the 11th position at the time of the yellow. He chose the outside of row six for the lap-seven restart and improved to ninth before settling into 10th, where he remained until the next yellow flag was displayed on lap 32. Elliott relayed to crew chief Alan Gustafson that his No. 9 NAPA Auto Parts Patriotic Chevrolet was doing a lot of things well, but he couldn’t seem to get his hands turned far enough on entry to set himself up for success. The team opted for four tires, fuel and a chassis adjustment during the pit stop under caution. Elliott restarted from the inside of row four on lap 38 and was scored in 10th when the race was slowed again on lap 46 for a caution. With varying pit strategies, Elliott lined up 19th for the lap-54 restart. From there, he improved to 15th to finish the first stage on lap 80.

After pitting for four tires and fuel during the stage break, Elliott took the green flag for the second stage from 14th on lap 89 and worked his way inside the top 10 prior to a caution on lap 93. Staying out, he restarted 10th on lap 100, and with great momentum, he quickly advanced to seventh. He methodically continued to work his way forward, reaching fifth on lap 121. Gustafson called Elliott to pit road for four fresh tires and fuel under the green flag on lap 127. As green-flag pit stops continued, the driver of the No. 9 NAPA Auto Parts Patriotic Chevy cycled up to 13th before fluid on the track brought out the yellow flag on lap 133. Under caution, the teams that had yet to complete their pit stops visited pit road, allowing Elliott to restart from the third row on lap 144. He climbed to third quickly before eventually finishing the second stage in seventh, collecting four valuable points.

Elliott brought the No. 9 NAPA Auto Parts Patriotic Chevrolet to the attention of his crew for fuel and a fresh set of tires during stage-ending caution. He opted for the inside of row four to start the final stage. After initially dropping to 12th following the lap-173 restart, Elliott improved to ninth just two laps later. He remained there until green-flag pit stops got underway on lap 212. Gustafson called Elliott in for four tires and fuel on lap 218. He returned to the track in 17th and cycled up to ninth on lap 224. The 30-year-old driver continued to run in the ninth position for several laps and fought hard to stay inside the top 10 before he ultimately took the checkered flag in 11th.

With the finish, Elliott improved to fifth in the Cup Series points standings. He also advanced to the third round of the NASCAR In-Season Challenge.

Start / Finish: 9 / 11
Points Standing / Total: 5th / 584 pts. (-180)

Next Race: Sunday, July 12, Atlanta Motor Speedway
How to Watch or Listen: 7:00 p.m. ET on TNT, SiriusXM or PRN

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