Elliott Wins after Last-Lap Pass at Atlanta

• The Atlanta Motor Speedway race weekend marked the return of the Chase Elliott Foundation’s Desi9n to Drive program with 11-year-old Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta (CHOA) cancer patient Rhealynn Mills designing Chase Elliott’s No. 9 NAPA/CHOA Chevrolet and race uniform.
• Elliott and the No. 9 team qualified 15th for the Saturday night NASCAR Cup Series race.
• Elliott earned valuable points throughout the race thanks to a ninth-place finish in stage one and second-place finish in stage two.
• In the final laps of the race, Elliott made moves to get in position for the win, making a last lap pass to secure his second Atlanta victory in the Cup Series.
• It was the Dawsonville, Georgia, native’s 20th career Cup Series win. He led the race nine separate times for a total of 41 laps.
• Elliott is now second in the regular season points standings, just 37 markers behind the leader, Hendrick Motorsports teammate William Bryon.

Even before Saturday night’s victory, the Atlanta Motor Speedway weekend was already a special one with the return of the Chase Elliott Foundation’s Desi9n to Drive program. Chase Elliott’s No. 9 NAPA/Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta (CHOA) Chevrolet and race uniform was designed by 11-year-old cancer patient Rhealynn Mills.

Elliott and the No. 9 team qualified 15th for Saturday night’s NASCAR Cup Series race. From the drop of the green flag, the 29-year-old driver worked to improve his running position. He made moves to reach the top 10 for a few laps and was scored just outside the top 10 when weather in the area brought a temporary hold to the race. Elliott radioed a loose-handling condition to the team, so once the red flag lifted, the team called him to pit road for four fresh tires, fuel and a chassis adjustment. He lined up 15th for the restart on lap 48 and continued to race inside the top 20. Elliott narrowly avoided a multi-car incident, which brought out the caution on lap 57. The stage ultimately ended under the yellow, with Elliott crossing the stripe in ninth place.

Under the caution, Elliott stayed out and took over the lead. He led the field to the green flag for the second stage and was still out front when several cars were caught up in an incident on lap 69. After pitting for right-side tires and fuel, the Dawsonville, Georgia, native restarted from the third row on lap 76 and remained inside the top 10 until a caution came out on lap 110. He was running in fourth at the time of the yellow. Elliott pitted for four tires and fuel before restarting eighth. In the closing laps of the stage, he battled inside the top three and raced side by side for the lead, coming up just one position short of the stage victory.

Crew chief Alan Gustafson called Elliott to pit road during the stage break for four tires and fuel. The driver of the No. 9 was the first off pit road and he once again led the field back to green. Throughout the caution-filled final stage, Elliott remained a frontrunner. He was scored in second when the final yellow flag of the race was displayed on lap 227. After restarting in that same spot, Elliott continued to race inside the top 10. He made an impressive last lap pass to secure a thrilling win at his home track. Elliott led nine times for a total of 41 laps en route to his second victory at Atlanta.

“Unbelievable, unbelievable. How about that? Are you kidding me? I’ve never in my life. This is unbelievable. Thank you guys so much,” Elliott said immediately after the race. “What a special car and just a huge thanks to NAPA Auto Parts and everything they do for me and to benefit Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta. Rhealynn Mills designed a fast NAPA Chevrolet tonight, so this was a lot of fun. This right here is something I’ll never forget. Thank you guys so much.”

What made this win so improbable?
“Well I just think that, honestly, all the cards fell in the right places there those last couple laps. What a crazy race, man. I don’t know if y’all had fun, but it was wild from my seat. I’m so glad we got to run that thing out there to the end. And yeah, just again, thank you so much for everybody that has made this possible. This is the ninth year of Desi9n to Drive. What an incredible way to celebrate that. Some great partners… Chevrolet, say hey to Mr. Hendrick at home. Thanks for sticking with me, pal, and yeah, just again, thanks to all you guys because this right here is… you can’t dream of this.”

Elliott is now second in the Cup Series regular season points standings, 37 points behind the leader, Hendrick Motorsports teammate William Byron.

Start / Finish: 15 / 1
Points Standing / Total: 2nd / 594 pts. (-37)

Next Race: Sunday, July 5, Chicago Street Race
How to Watch or Listen: 2:00 p.m. ET on TNT, MRN or SiriusXM

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