NAPA Wraps Up 100th Anniversary Weekend with Cup Series Race in Texas

• The Texas Motor Speedway race weekend was big for No. 9 team partner NAPA Auto Parts, with the company celebrating its 100th anniversary on Sunday, May 4.
• Defending winner Chase Elliott started Sunday’s NASCAR Cup Series race from the 29th position.
• The 29-year-old driver finished stage one in the 17th position and stage two in the 14th spot.
• In the caution-filled final stage, Elliott drove the gold No. 9 NAPA Auto Parts Chevrolet to a 16th-place finish.
• Elliott is tied for third in the Cup Series points standings, 83 markers behind leader and teammate, William Byron.

Sunday’s NASCAR Cup Series race at Texas Motor Speedway fell on the 100th anniversary of longtime No. 9 team partner NAPA Auto Parts. Chase Elliott and the No. 9 NAPA Parts team celebrated the milestone with a special gold paint scheme. Elliott rolled off the grid from the 29th position and advanced to 26th at the time of the first caution on lap 20. After pitting for four tires and fuel, the driver of the No. 9 NAPA Auto Parts Chevrolet lined up 22nd for the restart on lap 25. As the run went on, Elliott methodically worked his way forward. He was scored in 17th when an incident brought out the yellow flag on lap 75, which ultimately ended the first stage.

Elliott brought the No. 9 NAPA Auto Parts Chevrolet to the attention of his crew for four fresh tires and fuel after giving positive feedback on the last run. He took the green flag for the second stage from the sixth position on lap 87. The 2020 Cup Series champion continued to turn laps inside the top 20, running in 15th when the race was slowed for a caution on lap 125. Crew chief Alan Gustafson called Elliott to pit road for fuel and four tires. On lap 131, Elliott restarted from the 10th row. He advanced to 14th before a yellow flag waved on lap 162, ending the stage under the caution yet again.

During the stage break, Elliott reported his No. 9 NAPA Chevy was better than the previous run. To gain track position, Gustafson made the call for right-side tires and fuel during the team’s pit stop. Elliott was the second car off pit road and lined up on the front row beside teammate William Byron to start the final stage on lap 171. An incident quickly brought the caution back out. Elliott once again restarted from the front row. He battled alongside Byron for the lead, but his No. 9 Chevrolet bottomed out and he lost momentum. Elliott faded to 22nd before pitting for four tires and fuel on lap 205 after reporting a vibration. The caution came out before the field cycled through pit stops, leaving Elliott trapped one lap down. The team opted not to pit, and Elliott took the wave around to get back on the lead lap. He lined up 26th for the lap-225 restart and avoided several incidents in the caution-filled final portion of the race. The last caution on lap 265 presented the opportunity for Elliott to get fresh tires and fuel. He took the green flag for the overtime restart from 21st and advanced to 16th to finish the race.

Leaving Texas, Elliott is tied for third in the driver points standings, 83 markers behind the leader, Bryon.

Start / Finish: 29 / 16
Points Standing / Total: 3rd (tied) / 338 pts. (-83)

Next Race: Sunday, May 11, Kansas Speedway
How to Watch or Listen: 3:00 p.m. ET on FS1, MRN or SiriusXM

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