Elliott Places 11th at Atlanta

• Chase Elliott and the No. 9 NAPA Auto Parts team were gridded fourth for Sunday’s NASCAR Cup Series race at Atlanta Motor Speedway after Saturday’s qualifying session was rained out.
• The 30-year-old driver led laps in the first stage at his home track, ending it in fifth place. He followed that up with another fifth-place result in the second stage.
• In the final stage, Elliott continued to spend laps in the top 10. The race came down to a second overtime attempt, with the driver of the No. 9 NAPA Auto Parts Chevrolet taking the checkered flag in 11th place.
• Elliott leaves Atlanta third in the Cup Series standings, just 44 points behind the leader.

Chase Elliott and the No. 9 NAPA Auto Parts team started fourth in Sunday’s NASCAR Cup Series race at Atlanta Motor Speedway after qualifying was rained out and the lineup was set according to the metric. Elliott showed strength early in the race, continuing to battle inside the top 10 and leading 11 laps in the caution-free opening stage en route to a fifth-place finish at lap 60. Under the stage-ending caution, crew chief Alan Gustafson called Elliott to pit road for four fresh tires and fuel. The 30-year-old driver slightly overshot his pit stall on entry and had to back up before the crew could complete service. With the loss of track position, the team took the opportunity to visit pit road two more times under the yellow flag to pack the No. 9 NAPA Auto Parts Chevrolet full of fuel.

Elliott took the green flag for the second stage from deep in the field. He was up to 23rd when a multi-car incident slowed the race on lap 82. After pitting for fuel only, the Dawsonville, Georgia, native lined up 13th to choose his lane for the lap 93 restart. He went with the top lane and was back inside the top 12 before another incident brought out the yellow flag on lap 103. Elliott relayed to Gustafson that his No. 9 NAPA Auto Parts Chevy had good security. This time, team decided not to pit, and Elliott restarted in 11th on lap 110. He made moves to work his way back inside the top 10 and was scored just outside of it when the caution came out on lap 125. Elliott lined up 11th for the restart with 29 laps remaining in stage two. Racing got chaotic in the closing laps, with cars four-wide at times. Elliott avoided the melee on the final lap and powered his way to fifth to end the stage.

After pitting for four tires and fuel, Elliott lined up on the outside of row six to start the final stage on lap 170. He methodically used the draft to work his way back inside the top 10. He was running in eighth when the caution came out for an on-track incident on lap 199. Gustafson made the call for fuel only, helping Elliott gain four positions on pit road. The 2020 Cup Series champion restarted from the second row and was running in fourth when another incident caused the yellow flag to wave on lap 224. The team opted to keep track position, and Elliott restarted from the inside of row two on lap 232. He got loose while battling for position on lap 235 and faded to ninth. Elliott was in 10th when another caution came out with just 22 laps to go. Staying out, he lined up on the outside of row six for the restart and tried to make up ground.

A multi-car incident slowed the field with just three laps to go, setting the race up for an overtime finish. The team opted to pit for four tires and fuel to try to gain an advantage. Elliott lined up 15th to choose his lane for the restart and opted for the inside of row seven. He was running in 13th when another incident brought out the caution before the leader took the white flag. On the second overtime attempt, Elliott made headway but ran out of time to break back inside the top 10. He took the checkered flag in 11th.

Elliott remains third in the Cup Series points standings, just 44 markers behind the leader.

Start / Finish: 4 / 11
Points Standing / Total: 3rd / 81 pts. (-44)

Next Race: Sunday, March 1, Circuit of the Americas
How to Watch or Listen: 3:30 p.m. ET on FOX, SiriusXM or PRN

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