Elliott, No. 9 NAPA Auto Parts Team Score Top-Five Result at Sonoma Raceway

• Chase Elliott qualified 10th for Sunday’s 110-lap NASCAR Cup Series event at Sonoma Raceway.
• The 27-year-old driver finished the first stage in 12th and the second stage in 16th before ultimately taking the checkered flag in fifth.
• Elliott led twice for a total of seven laps on the day. He has now led laps in each of the last four races at Sonoma. It was his third consecutive finish of eighth or better at the Napa Valley track.
• The 2020 Cup Series champion improved to three top-five finishes and five top-10s in nine starts this season. With 10 races remaining in the regular season, Elliott sits 27th in the standings, 84 points below the provisional cutline for the playoffs.

Chase Elliott and the No. 9 NAPA Auto Parts team unloaded a fast Chevrolet at Sonoma Raceway. The 27-year-old driver was seventh-fastest in NASCAR Cup Series practice on Saturday and followed that up with a top-10 qualifying effort. Elliott started the race from the 10th position on Sunday afternoon and improved to ninth by the end of the first lap. He used the opening portion of the 110-lap race to settle in and find his rhythm while consistently running inside the top 10. As part of the team’s race strategy, crew chief Alan Gustafson called Elliott to pit road on lap 22 for four tires and fuel. Just three laps later, the first stage ended, with the 2020 Cup Series champion scored in 12th place.

With the series no longer having stage-ending cautions on road courses, the race remained green as it transitioned to stage two. Elliott was in third place once the field cycled through green-flag pit stops. He continued to battle inside the top five and was running in fifth when the first caution of the race came out on lap 50, just prior to the team’s scheduled green-flag pit stop. Under the yellow flag, Elliott brought the NAPA Auto Parts Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 to the attention of his crew for four fresh tires and fuel. He restarted in 15th on lap 53, and when stage two ended at the completion of lap 55, Elliott was in 16th place.

As the race remained under green, Elliott steadily began his climb towards the top 10. He improved to 13th by lap 60 and was closing in on 12th when teams started to make green-flag pit stops on lap 72. Gustafson kept Elliott out on the track, and the Dawsonville, Georgia, native took over the lead for the first time in the race on lap 76. He paced the field until finally coming to pit road at lap 80 for four tires and more fuel. Once again, Elliott found himself deeper in the field, but he remained undeterred. He pressed forward, maneuvering his way to 13th on lap 91, just prior to an incident bringing out the caution flag on lap 92.

While many teams came to pit road, Gustafson and the No. 9 team made a bold call to stay out under the yellow flag, knowing it was the best way to gain track position late in the race. Elliott restarted from the top spot on lap 95 and remained there until the No. 19 of Martin Truex Jr. worked his way by on lap 97. The Hendrick Motorsports driver continued to hold his own even while surrounded by cars with fresher tires. Battling down to the last lap, Elliott ultimately took the checkered flag in fifth. Truex was declared the winner at Sonoma.

The result was Elliott’s third consecutive finish of eighth or better on the 1.99-mile road course. It also marked his fourth consecutive race leading laps at the Napa Valley facility. In his nine Cup Series starts this season, Elliott now has three top-five finishes and five top-10s.

“It’s nice to get a top-five, no doubt. So, proud of that. We were trying to do something a little different with strategy. We had pit about six or eight laps there before that caution. We just felt like our only play was to stay out. I was really hoping that more people would do that with us so we’d have three or four rows. It still probably wouldn’t have been enough, but I do think it would have been nicer to have a couple more rows and a buffer for those with tires. It was certainly a good fight for the No. 9 NAPA Chevy team. It was one of our better runs there in the last couple of races, so always good to finish strong. It wasn’t an ideal situation, so to kind of fight through it there and come home with a top-five is good. Looking forward to building on that and hopefully contending for a win before long.”

Start / Finish: 10 / 5
Points Standing / Total: 27th / 247 pts. (-278)

Next Race: Sunday, June 25, Nashville Superspeedway
How to Watch or Listen: 7:00 p.m. ET on NBC, PRN or SiriusXM

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