Persistence Pays Off for Chase Elliott at Richmond
Chase Elliott, driver of the No. 24 Mountain Dew Baja Blast Chevrolet SS with NAPA AUTO PARTS as a major associate partner for Hendrick Motorsports captured a hard-earned 12th-place finish in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race at Richmond International Raceway Sunday afternoon.
The 20-year-old rookie relied on his dexterity and detailed guidance from Mountain Dew spotter Eddie D’Hondt to work his way into the top 20 within the first 20 laps of the race. As the green-flag run continued on, Elliott’s handling started to deteriorate and by the time the team was able to pit on Lap 92, he had dropped back to 24th. After green-flag pit stops cycled through, Elliott reemerged in 22nd one lap down.
The first caution of the race was called for debris on Lap 157. On the ensuing restart the rookie made an impactful move jumping to the outside of the Nos. 14 and 43 cars overtaking two rows of competitors. The young driver impressed not only the commentators, but his fellow competitors as well.
“What the 24 did on that restart was sexy – that was pretty cool,” three-time NASCAR Sprint Cup Series champion Tony Stewart told his team over the radio.
“What the No. 24 did on that restart was sexy.”- @TonyStewart
We’re under caution at @RIRInsider. #NASCAR https://t.co/e9lihxhpKw
— FOX Sports (@FOXSports) April 24, 2016
Elliott continued the positive momentum working his way to be the first driver one lap down.
“Keep fighting the fight man,” No. 24 team crew chief Alan Gustafson told Elliott over the radio on Lap 230 as the rookie was holding on to the lucky dog position. “You’re doing a great job – keep digging bud.”
Finally, the Baja Blast team caught their break on Lap 251 when the caution flag came out allowing Elliott to move back onto the lead lap. He reported that the car was “good” and he and Gustafson discussed strategy before green-flag conditions resumed. Their strategy paid off and Elliott rocketed through the field racing into 13th by Lap 288. He maintained his ground and cracked the top 10 on Lap 336.
The Dawsonville, Georgia, native raced his way all the way to ninth with 64 laps remaining steadily gaining ground. After a caution flag waved with 42 laps remaining, Elliott restarted 13th and he gained one position passing teammate Dale Earnhardt Jr. before the checkered flag concluded the race.
Elliott’s teammate, Jimmie Johnson, led the four-car Hendrick Motorsports contingent to the checkered flag finishing third. Kasey Kahne finished fourth and Earnhardt took home a 13th-place result.
The next event on the Sprint Cup schedule will be at Talladega Superspeedway on Sunday, May 1st. The event begins at 1:00 p.m. ET with live coverage provided by FOX.
Chase Elliott 2016 Stats after Richmond
| Ranking | Points | Starts | Poles | Wins | Top-5 | Top-10 | Laps Led |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 11 | 234 | 9 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 5 | 5 |
2016 NASCAR Sprint Cup Standings (Top 16 after 9 of 36 races)
| Postion | Driver (wins) | Points |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | Carl Edwards (2) | 331 |
| 2. | Kevin Harvick (1) | 324 |
| 3. | Jimmie Johnson (2) | 310 |
| 4. | Kyle Busch (2) | 302 |
| 5. | Joey Logano | 299 |
| 6. | Kurt Busch | 279 |
| 7. | Dale Earnhardt Jr. | 278 |
| 8. | Denny Hamlin (1) | 258 |
| 9. | Brad Keselowski (1) | 255 |
| 10. | Martin Truex Jr. | 246 |
| 11. | Chase Elliott | 234 |
| 12. | Austin Dillon | 234 |
| 13. | Jamie McMurray | 224 |
| 14. | Kasey Kahne | 222 |
| 15. | Matt Kenseth | 212 |
| 16. | Ryan Newman | 205 |
NAPA: @NAPARacing
Chase Elliott: @ChaseElliott
Hendrick Motorsports: @TeamHendrick
No. 24 Team: @Hendrick24Team
Hendrick Motorsports View All
Founded by Rick Hendrick in 1984, Hendrick Motorsports is the winningest team in NASCAR Cup Series history. At the sport’s premier level, the organization holds the all-time records in every major statistical category, including championships (14), points-paying race victories (312) and laps led (more than 82,000). It has earned at least one race win in a record 40 different seasons, including an active streak of 39 in a row (1986-2024). Headquartered in Concord, North Carolina, the team fields four full-time entries in the NASCAR Cup Series, including the No. 9 NAPA Auto Parts Chevrolet driven by 2020 champion Chase Elliott.