Elliott Tied for Sixth in Playoff Standings after Watkins Glen

• Chase Elliott and the No. 9 NAPA Auto Parts team qualified 14th for Sunday’s NASCAR Cup Series Playoff race at Watkins Glen International.
• Elliott finished the first stage in sixth and the second stage in 24th due to pit strategy.
• In the final stage, Elliott was caught up in an incident following a late-race restart. The No. 9 NAPA Auto Parts Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 suffered some damage, but Elliott was able to continue on and end the day with a 19th-place finish after the race went into overtime.
• Elliott leaves Watkins Glen tied for sixth in the Cup Series Playoff standings, 30 points above the elimination line with one race remaining in the Round of 16.

Chase Elliott and the No. 9 NAPA Auto Parts team qualified 14th for the second race of NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs. After taking the green flag on Sunday afternoon at Watkins Glen International – a track known for being difficult to make passes on – Elliott advanced to 12th before an incident brought out a caution prior to the completion of lap one. Staying out, he made the most of the lap-six restart, improving to eighth in a hurry. He remained there until two cars pitted ahead of him in the closing laps of the first stage. When the green-and-white checkered flag waved to end stage one, the 2020 Cup Series champion was scored with a sixth-place result.

Under the stage-ending caution, Elliott visited pit road for four tires and fuel. An issue during the pit stop resulted in the Dawsonville, Georgia, native, restarting deep in the field on lap 25. Despite the loss of track position, Elliott powered his way from 30th to 23rd in just one lap. He was running in 22nd when he relayed to crew chief Alan Gustafson that the No. 9 NAPA Auto Parts Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 was a little tighter during the run. He remained out on the track until pitting under the green flag on lap 37 for four tires and fuel. Upon exiting pit road, the caution flag came out for a car stuck in the gravel. The stage ultimately ended under the yellow flag, with Elliott claiming a 24th-place finish.

Staying out during the stage break, Elliott lined up 17th to start the final stage on lap 43. At the drop of the green flag, he pressed forward, advancing to 14th before an incident brought out the caution on lap 47. Once again opting to stay out, Elliott restarted from the 13th position on lap 50 and powered his way to 10th on lap 53. Shortly after, green flag pit stops got underway. Gustafson called Elliott to pit road for four tires and fuel on lap 62. He returned to the track in the 26th position and cycled up to 12th before the yellow flag was displayed for debris with just 10 laps to go. The team opted to pit for fresh tires, and Elliott restarted from the 22nd position with seven circuits remaining. With the fresh rubber, the 28-year-old driver made quick work of the cars ahead of him, advancing to 14th before a multi-car incident brought out another caution flag. Elliott restarted from 14th with just three laps to go but was caught up in a multi-car incident that ultimately resulted in another caution. The No. 9 NAPA Chevrolet was wounded, but Elliott remained on the track for the overtime restart. He held his own in the closing laps, bringing home a hard-fought 19th-place finish.

Elliott leaves Watkins Glen tied for sixth in the Cup Series Playoff standings, 30 points above the elimination line with one race remaining in the Round of 16.

Start / Finish: 14 / 19
Points Standing / Total: 6th (tie) / 2,073 pts.

Next Race: Saturday, September 24, Bristol Motor Speedway
How to Watch or Listen: 7:30 p.m. ET on USA, PRN or SiriusXM

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