Elliott Ranked above Elimination Line following Talladega Playoff Race

• Chase Elliott qualified 11th for Sunday’s NASCAR Cup Series playoff race at Talladega Superspeedway.
• After finishing stage one outside of the top 10, Elliott rallied to a runner-up finish in the second stage and earned valuable points.
• In the final stage, the 28-year-old driver was racing inside the top five when he was collected in a multi-car incident on lap 185, which brought out the red flag.
• Elliott was eventually towed to his pit stall where the team made repairs to the No. 9 Kelley Blue Book Chevrolet Camaro ZL1.
• Though multiple laps down, he returned the track for the overtime finish and ultimately crossed the line in the 29th position.
• Elliott leaves Talladega eighth in the Cup Series playoff standings, 13 points above the elimination line with just one race remaining in the Round of 12.

Chase Elliott and the No. 9 Kelley Blue Book team qualified 11th for Sunday’s NASCAR Cup Series playoff race at Talladega Superspeedway. Once the green flag dropped, Elliott maintained a position inside the lead pack and was scored 13th when the first caution of the race came out on lap 12. Under the yellow flag, Elliott brought the No. 9 Kelley Blue Book Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 to the attention of his crew for a fuel only pit stop. After restarting 14th with 44 laps to go in stage one, he continued to race inside the main pack of cars and was running in 22nd when crew chief Alan Gustafson relayed to Elliott that he was good on fuel. With the remainder of stage one going caution free, the 28-year-old driver tried to advance towards the front for stage points but came up short, taking the green-and-white checkered flag in 19th.

Under the stage-ending caution, Gustafson called Elliott to pit road for four fresh tires and fuel. Prior to the start of stage two, the Hendrick Motorsports driver came back to his pit stall to top off the fuel tank of the No. 9 Kelley Blue Book Chevy. Elliott lined up 22nd for the restart and was up inside the top five by the halfway point of the stage. After pitting on lap 99 for fuel, he returned to the track and was battling for the lead with 10 laps left in stage two, ultimately finishing it in the second position. The runner-up stage finish earned Elliott nine pivotal points.

The 2020 Cup Series champion pitted for four tires and fuel during the stage break and started the final stage from fourth. He was still inside the top 10 with 45 laps to go, riding in the eighth position while trying to conserve fuel. Just 10 laps later, Elliott battled four-wide while racing inside the top 15. He visited pit road for fuel with just 16 laps to go and cycled back inside the top five following the completion of green flag pit stops. With fewer than 10 circuits remaining, Elliott was caught up in a multi-car incident while running in the fourth position, bringing out the red flag. After the red flag was lifted, Elliott was eventually towed back to his pit stall and the team went to work on reports. Though multiple laps down, Elliott was ultimately able to get back out on the track for the overtime finish. He earned a 29th-place result.

“I thought Ricky (Stenhouse Jr.) and I had a really good system going there,” Elliott said. “I was really pleased with my spot. I thought I had a lot of what was going to transpire, was in my hands, which is what I want at the end of these things. Unfortunately, the bit that was not in my hands ended up biting us. I don’t really know what you do about that. We were in a good position. The No. 9 Kelley Blue Book Chevy team executed a good second half of the race. We were right there when it counted. I’m not sure how I got clipped. I thought I had it missed. Somebody just barely clipped me, and it sent me spinning.”

With one race remaining in the Round of 12, Elliott is eighth in the playoff standings, 13 points above the elimination line to advance to the Round of 8.

Start / Finish: 11 / 29
Points Standing / Total: 8th / 3,061 pts.

Next Race: Sunday, October 13, Charlotte Motor Speedway Roval
How to Watch or Listen: NBC, PRN or SiriusXM

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