Elliott Places 14th in Caution-Filled Iowa Race

• Chase Elliott and the No. 9 NAPA Auto Parts team qualified eighth for Sunday’s NASCAR Cup Series race at Iowa Speedway.
• The 29-year-old driver finished the caution-free first stage in the eighth position.
• In stage two, an inopportune caution in the middle of green-flag pit stops put Elliott deeper in the field, but he drove to 12th to end stage two.
• The final stage was marred by several cautions. Elliott led laps, but he ultimately had to pit under a caution to make it to the end of the race on fuel. He finished the race in 14th.
• The 2020 Cup Series champion is second in the points standings, just 18 markers behind Hendrick Motorsports teammate Willam Byron.

Chase Elliott and the No. 9 NAPA Auto Parts team qualified eighth for Sunday’s NASCAR Cup Series race at Iowa Speedway. The first stage of the race went caution-free, with Elliott spending all 70 laps in the eighth position.

During the stage-ending caution, crew chief Alan Gustafson called Elliott to pit road for four tires and fuel. Following the pit stop, Elliott lined up 10th to start the second stage, opting for the inside lane. The 29-year-old was back up to eighth by lap 84. He reported that his No. 9 NAPA Auto Parts Chevrolet fired off better. Elliott continued to run in eighth before dropping back to ninth on lap 138. That same lap, green-flag pit stops got under way with a longer cycle than usual due to varying strategies by teams. Elliott visited pit road on lap 157 for four tires and fuel, and he returned to the track in 29th. He had cycled up to 23rd when an inopportune caution came out on lap 167, right in the middle of the pit cycle.

The yellow flag trapped Elliott and several others a lap down, but the team opted not to pit and Elliott took the wave around to get back on lead lap. Elliott restarted 22nd on lap 177 and battled to 18th before another caution slowed the race. After pitting for four tires and fuel, Elliott lined up 20th for the restart and advanced to 15th before an incident brought out the yellow flag on lap 203. The team opted not to pit, putting Elliott 10th for a two-lap shootout to end the stage. The Dawsonville, Georgia, native took the green-and-white checkered flag in 12th.

Staying out during the stage-break, Elliott took the green for the final segment in 11th on lap 220. He advanced to ninth before an incident quickly brought out the caution on lap 221. Once again staying out, he lined up ninth for the restart on lap 228. Cautions tend to lead to more cautions, and that was the case in the final stage. There were seven total cautions in the final stint of the race. Elliott and the No. 9 team stayed out through several of the yellow flags. The 2020 Cup Series champion continued to improve his track position and eventually took over the lead following the fifth caution of the stage on lap 263. Two cautions later, Elliott was scored in the second position. Knowing the No. 9 NAPA Auto Parts Chevy needed more fuel to make it to the end, Gustafson made the call for Elliott to visit pit road for four fresh tires and to fill the fuel tank. Elliott restarted 25th and made quick work of the cars directly ahead of him with his fresh tires. The remainder of the race went caution-free, with Elliott ultimately taking the checkered flag in 14th.

Elliott is now second in the Cup Series points standings. He’s just 18 markers behind teammate and Iowa race winner William Byron.

Start / Finish: 8 / 14
Points Standing / Total: 2nd / 752 pts. (-18)

Next Race: Sunday, August 10, Watkins Glen International
How to Watch or Listen: 2:00 p.m. ET on USA, MRN or SiriusXM

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