Chase Elliott Embarks on ‘The Stretch’: 18 Weeks of Racing
Brooklyn, Mich. (June 10, 2014) – It’s simply known as “the stretch.” From June 14th to Oct. 10th Chase Elliott and the No. 9 NAPA AUTO PARTS team will embark on an 18 consecutive week NASCAR Nationwide Series journey, covering 16 states and totaling 11,095 miles. During the run there will be two repeat venues, Kentucky Speedway and Chicagoland Speedway.
For the 18-year-old, timing couldn’t be better. Elliott, who is third in driver points, looks to build rhythm during the most demanding portion of the season. Looking ahead to the stretch, Elliott will visit six tracks he’s already raced at this season, three of which he’s placed in the top-five. The first repeat track is Daytona International Speedway on Fri., July 4th. And for Elliott, redemption sounds pretty sweet.
Elliott will be making his track debut at Michigan International Speedway Saturday afternoon in the No. 9 NAPA AUTO PARTS Chevrolet. Elliott will carry the NAPA in-car camera aboard his machine, but that’s only the half of it. During the Nationwide Countdown on ESPN at 1:30 p.m. ET viewers will have their first chance to witness NAPA’s new national television spot. The Ollie’s Bargain Outlet 250 begins at 2 p.m. ET on ESPN and will also feature three more NAPA commercial spots during its coverage.
While the track is foreign to Elliott, the two-mile, D-shaped oval configuration is not. Elliott displayed an unforgettable performance at Auto Club Speedway, a track similar to Michigan, in March when he was able to bring home a sixth-place finish after being wrecked early in the race.
Elliott enters the weekend leading the Sunoco Rookie of the Year standings with a 33-point advantage over Ty Dillon.
Driver Quotes | Chase Elliott
“We now start the 18-week stretch that makes up most of our season. Leading up to this point we’ve had just a few consecutive races, scattered with off-weekends. It will be a busy few months, but I’m personally looking forward to being able to race every weekend without the breaks in between. For me, getting into a consistent rhythm is extremely important. With this stretch I’ll be able to find my groove. Michigan looks to be a very fast and exciting race track for these Nationwide cars. I can’t wait to see what my NAPA Chevy has for them on Saturday!”
NASCAR NATIONWIDE SERIES TV SCHEDULE
All times Eastern Standard Time (EST)
Friday, June 13
12:30 PM NASCAR Nationwide Series Michigan Practice FOX Sports 1
2:00 PM NASCAR Nationwide Series Michigan Practice FOX Sports 1
Saturday, June 14
10:40 AM NASCAR Nationwide Series Michigan Qualifying ESPN2
2:00 PM NASCAR Nationwide Series Michigan Race ESPN
RADIO: MRN & Sirius XM Ch 90 (1:30 pm ET)
2014 NATIONWIDE SERIES DRIVER POINTS
1. Regan Smith…………………………………….. 448
2. Elliott Sadler………………………………………. -4
3. Chase Elliott……………………………………… -22
4. Trevor Bayne…………………………………….. -27
5. Ty Dillon…………………………………………… -34
2014 SUNOCO ROOKIE OF THE YEAR POINTS
1. Chase Elliott…………………………………….. 174
2. Ty Dillon…………………………………………… -33
3. Chris Buescher………………………………….. -64
4. Dylan Kwasniewski…………………………….. -80
5. Ryan Reed………………………………………… -89
NAPA AUTO PARTS: @theNAPAnetwork
Chase Elliott: @ChaseElliott
JR Motorsports: @JRMotorsports