NASCAR Road Course: Familiar Grounds for Chase Elliott
ELKHART LAKE, Wis. (June 17, 2014) – For 18-year-old NASCAR Nationwide Series rookie Chase Elliott, racing on familiar tracks has not been a part of this year’s agenda. However, what has been a part of the agenda is winning two races, earning six top-five finishes and ranking third in driver points through the season’s first 13 races.
The majority of the Nationwide Series circuit is new territory for Elliott, which certainly hasn’t slowed him down in the slightest. Elliott, working with crew chief Greg Ives, is soaking up knowledge from the former lead engineer on the No. 48 Hendrick Motorsports team like a sponge.
Ives will miss the weekend’s at-track activities as he and his wife, Jessica, are expecting their third child. Veteran crew chief Ernie Cope will oversee the NAPA team’s effort in Ives’ absence.
This weekend, Elliott will take his No. 9 NAPA AUTO PARTS Chevrolet to the NASCAR road course at Road America in Elkhart Lake, Wis., where he has raced before. He started third and led five laps en route to a fourth-place finish in the 2013 ARCA Racing Series event at the 4.048-mile, 14-turn road course.
Elliott dazzled in last season’s NASCAR Camping World Truck Series road course race in Bowmanville, Ontario. Elliott led 22 laps on his way to his first NASCAR-sanctioned race victory. That success provides optimism for a successful race at Road America this Saturday, where the No. 9 NAPA team will be searching for its third win of the season.
Elliott enters the weekend third in driver standings, trailing JR Motorsports teammate Regan Smith by 20 points. He still leads the Sunoco Rookie of the Year standings by 37 points over Ty Dillon. ABC’s coverage of the Gardner Denver 200 begins at 2:30 p.m. ET.
Driver Quotes | Chase Elliott
“I’ve always enjoyed road racing. It has always been really fun for me. My dad has always enjoyed it. He’s been a big fan of it and that’s probably where I got my liking from. It’s really cool because it’s something we don’t get to do a whole lot of. Fortunately for us (Nationwide Series), we get to race at three road courses this season.
“Road America is a very unique place. You don’t find many road courses that big with so many characteristics. It’s easy to make mistakes at a big place like that. One lap has so many different variables to it and you will certainly have to prove your worth on Saturday.”
NASCAR Nationwide Series TV Schedule
All times Eastern Standard Time (EST)
Friday, June 20
12:30 PM NASCAR Nationwide Series Practice NO TV
2:30 PM NASCAR Nationwide Series Final Practice NO TV
Saturday, June 21
11:40 AM NASCAR Nationwide Series Qualifying ESPN2
2:45 PM NASCAR Nationwide Series Race ABC
RADIO: MRN & Sirius XM Ch 90 (2:00 pm ET)
2014 NATIONWIDE SERIES DRIVER POINTS
1. Regan Smith…………………………………….. 485
2. Elliott Sadler…………………………………….. -14
3. Chase Elliott……………………………………… -20
4. Ty Dillon…………………………………………… -35
5. Trevor Bayne…………………………………….. -50
2014 SUNOCO ROOKIE OF THE YEAR POINTS
1. Chase Elliott…………………………………….. 190
2. Ty Dillon…………………………………………… -37
3. Chris Buescher………………………………….. -70
4. Dylan Kwasniewski…………………………….. -91
5. Ryan Reed…………………………………………. -97
NAPA AUTO PARTS: @theNAPAnetwork
Chase Elliott: @ChaseElliott
JR Motorsports: @JRMotorsports