Elliott Wraps Up Regular Season with Top-10 Finish at Daytona

• Saturday’s race at Daytona International Speedway marked the NASCAR Cup Series regular season finale.
• Chase Elliott and the No. 9 NAPA Auto Parts team started 30th after qualifying was canceled due to weather in the area. The lineup was set according to the rule book.
• Elliott finished stage one in 19th and stage two in 13th.
• In the final stage, the 29-year-old driver was up inside the top 10 in the closing laps, keeping himself in contention for the win. He ultimately finished the race in 10th.
• Elliott enters the Cup Series playoffs as the seventh seed, seven points above the cutline.

Saturday’s race at Daytona International Speedway marked the NASCAR Cup Series regular season finale. Chase Elliott rolled off the grid in the No. 9 NAPA Auto Parts Chevrolet from the 30th position after qualifying was rained out and the lineup was set according to the rule book. He was running in 21st when the first caution of the race came out on lap 18. After pitting for four tires and fuel, Elliott restarted 31st on lap 24 and was working his way forward when a multi-car incident occurred ahead of him. He narrowly avoided getting caught up in the melee and was scored in 12th under the yellow flag. The No. 9 team opted to stay out when pit road opened, which helped Elliott restart inside the top 10 with just two laps to go in the stage. He created a third lane to try to gain positions, but not enough cars came with him and his run stalled out. Elliott ultimately finished stage one in 19th.

During the stage break, crew chief Alan Gustafson called Elliott in for right-side tires and fuel. The 2020 Cup Series champion took the green flag for stage two from 14th on lap 42 and quickly worked his way up, reaching as high as eighth. Elliott continued to race smart while conserving his fuel. He was scored in eighth when a caution occurred on lap 83. Staying out, he lined up on the front row for the restart on lap 88. He continued to race inside the top 10 but ended up getting shuffled back to 13th on the final lap of stage two.

Elliott brought the No. 9 NAPA Auto Parts Chevrolet to the attention of his crew for four tires and fuel during the stage ending caution. He visited pit road one more time to top off the fuel tank before lining up 18th to start the final stage on lap 102. He continued to race inside the top 20, running in 19th when the yellow flag was displayed on lap 108. Gustafson called Elliott to pit road for four tires and fuel and once again had him come in to top off the tank. The Dawsonville, Georgia, native restarted 23rd on lap 116. He reached 10th by lap 126 and remained inside the top 15. Elliott had powered his way to sixth when the caution flag waved on lap 149. Staying out, he restarted from the third row with just eight laps to go. Elliott battled hard in the closing laps, ultimately taking the checkered flag for the final race of the regular season in 10th.

“Yeah, we got Alex (Bowman) in, so that’s good,” Elliott said. “I think Ryan (Blaney) jumped us in points and so did Kyle (Larson), so unfortunately, we lost a couple of playoff points there. But nonetheless, it was still good to get a handful and some change (of points). We’ll go to Darlington and try to build on the race we had there in the spring.”

All four Hendrick Motorsports teams advanced to the playoffs. Elliott will head to Darlington Raceway as the seventh seed, seven points above the cutline.

Start / Finish: 30 / 10
Points Standing / Total: 7th / +7 (Playoffs)

Next Race: Sunday, August 31, Darlington Raceway
How to Watch or Listen: 6:00 p.m. ET on USA, SiriusXM or MRN

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