Flat Tire Leads to Heavy Damage and Early Exit for Elliott at Michigan

• Chase Elliott qualified 10th for the NASCAR Cup Series race at Michigan International Speedway.
• The No. 9 NAPA Auto Parts Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 showed speed early in Sunday’s rain-delayed race. Elliott powered his way to seventh on the second lap.
• After staying out during the competition caution, Elliott was battling inside the top 10 when he had a right-rear tire go down on lap 35. The NAPA Chevrolet made heavy contact with the wall and was too damaged for the 27-year-old driver to continue in the race.
• The 200-lap race, which was red flagged at lap 75 on Sunday due to rain, eventually concluded on Monday afternoon. Elliott was ultimately scored with a 36th-place result and now sits 22nd in the driver point standings with three races remaining in the regular season.

Chase Elliott and the No. 9 team kicked off the weekend at Michigan International Speedway with a fast NAPA Auto Parts Chevrolet Camaro ZL1. The 2020 NASCAR Cup Series champion qualified 10th for Sunday’s race. As the field made pace laps prior to the green flag, rain fell over the 2-mile D-shaped oval. Officials called the drivers back to pit road, and after a delay of just over an hour, the race commenced. Starting from the 10th position, Elliott surged to seventh on the second lap. He was running in that same position when the caution flag waved on lap 15 for an on-track incident. Officials announced that the yellow flag would count as the competition caution. 

Staying out under the caution, Elliott was scored in the fifth position and chose the bottom lane for the lap-19 restart. He held strong inside the top 10 and was running in the ninth position on lap 35 when the right-rear tire of the NAPA Auto Parts Chevrolet went down, causing the No. 9 to make substantial contact with the wall. Elliott’s Camaro was too damaged for the 27-year-old driver to continue in the race. As a result, he was scored with a 36th-place finish.

The 200-lap race, which was red flagged at lap 75 on Sunday due to rain, eventually concluded on Monday afternoon. Elliott is now 22nd in the Cup Series driver point standings – 55 markers below the provisional playoff cutline – with three races remaining in the regular season. 

Start / Finish: 10 / 36
Points Standing / Total: 22nd / 431 pts. (-368)

Next Race: Sunday, Aug. 13, Indianapolis Motor Speedway Road Course
How to Watch or Listen: 2:30 p.m. ET on NBC, IMS Radio or SiriusXM

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