Elliott, NAPA Team Kick Off 2025 Season with Clash Victory
- Chase Elliott and the No. 9 NAPA Auto Parts team posted the fastest lap in qualifying on Saturday evening at Bowman Gray Stadium.
- Elliott won the first heat race, putting him on the pole for Sunday night’s NASCAR Cup Series Clash.
- From the drop of the green flag, Elliott took command of the race, leading until just prior to the halfway break when the No. 11 made the pass for the top spot.
- During the second half of the 200-lap event, the 29-year-old driver reclaimed the lead and continued to hold point, taking the checkered flag and his first Clash win.
The NASCAR Cup Series kicked off the 2025 season with the Clash at Bowman Gray Stadium, a non-points paying exhibition event. Chase Elliott and the NAPA Auto Parts team were fastest in qualifying and won the first heat race on Saturday night, putting them on the pole for Sunday night’s main event.
At the drop of the green flag, Elliott took command of the race. He held point through multiple cautions but late in the first half of the race, his handling started to fade and he fell to third just prior to the halfway break. After fresh tires and adjustments, the No. 9 NAPA Auto Parts Chevrolet came back to life. He was side-by-side for the lead on lap 125. Once he made the pass for the top spot no one could catch the 2020 Cup Series champion. Elliott took the checkered flag in the 200-lap event to secure his first Clash victory.
“First off, just thanks, everybody, for coming out,” Elliott said after the win. “Y’all made for a really fun environment for us. We don’t race in stadiums like this, so it’s just really cool. Appreciate y’all making that moment special for me and my team. This is awesome.
“I know it’s not a points race, but it is nice to win, for sure. Just really proud of our team for just continuing to keep our heads down and push forward, for sure.
“It was a tough race. Ryan [Blaney] kept me honest there at the end. Denny [Hamlin] was really good at the second-half of that break. I just felt like he was kind of riding, and I was afraid to lose control of the race and not be able to get it back.
“Yeah, fortunately it worked out. Great way to start the season. Huge thanks to everybody at Hendrick Motorsports; a lot of hard work over the off-season. NAPA Auto Parts, Chevrolet, some great partners. Excited to get to Daytona. It’s a great way to start the season.”
Start / Finish: 1 / 1
Next Race: Sunday, February 16, Daytona 500
How to Watch or Listen: 2:30 p.m. ET on Fox, MRN or SiriusXM
NAPA: @NAPARacing
Chase Elliott: @ChaseElliott
Hendrick Motorsports: @TeamHendrick
No. 9 Team: @Hendrick9Team
Hendrick Motorsports View All
Founded by Rick Hendrick in 1984, Hendrick Motorsports is the winningest team in NASCAR Cup Series history. At the sport’s premier level, the organization holds the all-time records in every major statistical category, including championships (14), points-paying race victories (312) and laps led (more than 82,000). It has earned at least one race win in a record 40 different seasons, including an active streak of 39 in a row (1986-2024). Headquartered in Concord, North Carolina, the team fields four full-time entries in the NASCAR Cup Series, including the No. 9 NAPA Auto Parts Chevrolet driven by 2020 champion Chase Elliott.