Multi-Car Incident Causes Early Exit for Elliott in Daytona 500

• Chase Elliott started the 65th running of the DAYTONA 500 from the eighth position on Sunday afternoon at Daytona International Speedway.
• The 2020 NASCAR Cup Series champion finished 38th in the race after getting caught up in an on-track incident on Lap 119 that caused heavy damage to the No. 9 NAPA Auto Parts Chevrolet Camaro ZL1.
• Next weekend, Elliott and the No. 9 team head to Auto Club Speedway for second race of the 2023 NASCAR Cup Series season.

Chase Elliott and the No. 9 NAPA Auto Parts team started eighth in Sunday’s 65th running of the DAYTONA 500 at Daytona International Speedway. The five-time Most Popular Driver stayed within the main pack and ran inside the top 10 for several laps. However, the field became single-file as teams grew closer to green-flag stops, causing Elliott to lose some positions. Several Chevrolet drivers made their way to pit road on Lap 38, with Elliott getting two right-side tires and fuel for his No. 9 NAPA Auto Parts Camaro ZL1. Once the field cycled through pit stops, the 2020 NASCAR Cup Series champion was running in the bottom lane near the front of the field. He worked his way inside the top five on lap 53, but the top lane grew stronger as the first stage went on and Elliott was shuffled back to 17th by time the green-and-white checkered flag waved on lap 65. Under the stage-ending caution, crew chief Alan Gustafson called Elliott to pit road for four fresh tires and fuel. 

Elliott chose the outside lane for the start of the second stage and raced mid-pack as the field stayed double-file for the opening laps. At the race’s halfway point, he was scored in the 24th position and moved to the bottom lane just a handful of laps later in preparation for another round of green-flag pit stops. The Chevrolet drivers came to pit road on lap 107 and the NAPA Auto Parts team opted for fuel only, which helped propel Elliott back into the top 10 on Lap 113. Just six laps later, Elliott’s day took a turn when an on-track incident occurred ahead of him. The 27-year-old had almost worked his way through the chaos, but another car came back up onto the track and Elliott had nowhere to go. His NAPA Auto Parts Chevrolet was collected in the incident and was too damaged to continue in the race. Elliott was ultimately scored with a 38th-place finish.

“It looked like some guys got tangled up front,” Chase Elliott said. “Those of us in the back were just scattering to kind of miss it. It looked like the No. 5 (Kyle Larson) and the No. 43 (Erik Jones) kind of went to the apron. By the time we got slowed up, they were coming back across the track and I was there first. It’s a bummer. Hate to end the day, but it is what it is.”

Start / Finish: 8 / 38
Points Standing / Total: 29th / 9 pts. (-43)

Next Race: Sunday, February 26, Auto Club Speedway, Fontana, Calif.
How to Watch or Listen: FOX, MRN, SiriusXM

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