Stage-Two Damage Derails Elliott’s Brickyard 400
- Chase Elliott and the No. 9 NAPA Auto Parts team qualified 27th for Sunday’s Brickyard 400 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
- Elliott was scored as high as 18th in the first stage, ending it in 26th after pitting under a caution late in the stage.
- In the second stage, Elliott was battling for position on lap 60 when the No. 9 NAPA Auto Parts Chevrolet made contact with the wall and sustained damage to the right side.
- After lengthy repairs to the No. 9 Chevy, the 30-year-old driver returned to the track 41 laps down in 38th place before ultimately ending the race in 37th.
- Elliott is now sixth in the NASCAR Cup Series standings, 251 points behind the leader.
Chase Elliott and the No. 9 NAPA Auto Parts team qualified 27th for Sunday’s Brickyard 400 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. When the green flag waved, Elliott tried to make forward progress, improving to 24th. Prior to pitting for four tires, fuel and a chassis adjustment under the green flag on lap 22, Elliott relayed that the right rear was getting pumped up. He returned to the track in 38th and had made his way just inside the top 20 when a caution came out on lap 44 for an incident. He reported to his team that the No. 9 NAPA Auto Parts Chevrolet was struggling in traffic. Crew chief Alan Gustafson made the call to pit for four tires, fuel and another chassis adjustment to improve handling. Elliott restarted from 27th with just one lap remaining in the stage, taking the green-and-white checkered flag in 26th.
Staying out under the stage-ending caution, Elliott took the green for stage two from 23rd on lap 56. Elliott was battling for position on the backstretch on lap 60 when contact with another car caused the No. 9 NAPA Chevrolet to get into the wall, damaging the right side and cutting down the right-rear tire. Elliott came to pit road for the team to assess the damage before heading to the garage for repairs. He returned to the track 41 laps down, just in time for the start of the final stage.
With the regular season winding down, the team knew any positions they could potentially gain could be important. Elliott lined up 38th to start the final stage and relayed to the team that the No. 9 NAPA Chevrolet was loose. When the caution came out on lap 114 for debris, the team took the opportunity to pit for four tires, fuel and adjustments. In the final run to the finish, Elliott improved one spot to take the checkered flag in 37th.
Elliott sits sixth in the NASCAR Cup Series standings with just four races remaining until The Chase.
Start / Finish: 27 / 37
Points Standing / Total: 6th / 635 pts. (-251)
Next Race: Sunday, August 9, Iowa Speedway
How to Watch or Listen: 3:30 p.m. ET on USA, SiriusXM or MRN
NAPA: @NAPARacing
Chase Elliott: @ChaseElliott
Hendrick Motorsports: @TeamHendrick
No. 9 Team: @Hendrick9Team
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 (15), points-paying race victories (320) and laps led (more than 85,000). It has earned at least one race win in a record 41 different seasons, including an active streak of 40 in a row (1986-2025). Headquartered on more than 150 acres in Concord, North Carolina, the team fields four full-time Chevrolet entries in the NASCAR Cup Series, including the No. 9 NAPA Auto Parts Chevrolet driven by 2020 champion Chase Elliott.