By
NAPA
Chase Elliott and the No. 9
link hidden, please login to view team started off DAYTONA 500 week strong with a victory in Duel Two on Thursday night, which set them up for a fourth-place starting position for the Great American Race.
Elliott finished 18th in each of the first two stages in Sunday afternoon’s NASCAR Cup Series race.
In the final stage, the 30-year-old driver restarted from the eighth row with just four laps to go following a caution. He had a shot at the win, taking the lead on the final lap. However, he got caught up in an on-track incident coming to the checkered flag and ultimately crossed the stripe in fourth.
Elliott leaves Daytona International Speedway third in the Cup Series standings, just 15 points behind the leader.
Chase Elliott and the No. 9 NAPA Auto Parts team started off DAYTONA 500 week strong with a victory in Duel Two on Thursday night, which set them up for a fourth-place starting position for the Great American Race. From the drop of the green flag in Sunday’s NASCAR Cup Series race, Elliott showed he had a Chevrolet capable of winning. He was scored in seventh when the first caution of the race came out on lap five. Crew chief Alan Gustafson called for a fuel-only pit stop. Elliott restarted eighth on lap 12 and continued to race inside the top 10. He was running in the fourth position when green-flag pit stops got underway on lap 50. Elliott assumed the lead on lap 58 before pitting the very next lap for fuel. He ended stage one in the 18th position.
Under the stage-ending caution, Elliott radioed to his team that the No. 9 NAPA Auto Parts Chevy was a little free. Gustafson made the call for an adjustment during the team’s pit stop for four tires and fuel. Elliott made a second stop under the yellow to top off the tank. The 30-year-old driver took the green flag for the second stage from the 20th position on lap 72. The field went three wide early in the stage, with Elliott running the top lane. Racing got dicey at the front of the field, which ultimately triggered a multi-car incident that brought out the caution on lap 85. Elliott drove through the infield grass to avoid the melee, escaping unscathed. Under the yellow flag, Elliott brought the No. 9 NAPA Chevy to the attention of his crew for a fuel-only pit stop. He was 11th to choose his lane for the restart, ultimately opting for the outside. Once back to green on lap 92, it didn’t take long for the field to go back to racing three wide. Elliott was stuck in the middle lane until he was able to clear to the bottom. He was running in 10th before the bottom lane lost momentum and he was shuffled towards the back of the pack. Tight racing prompted another multi-car incident on lap 124, which Elliott was again able to avoid. The cleanup took long enough that stage two ended under the yellow flag, with the Hendrick Motorsports driver scored 18th.
During the stage break, the team made another stop for four fresh tires and fuel. Elliott lined up on the inside of row four to start the final stage on lap 136. He remained in the bottom lane for several laps as the main pack raced three wide. Elliott kept his Chevrolet towards the front of the field as the race started winding down, but teams still needed to make one last round of pit stops for fuel. The first cars visited pit road on lap 181. Elliott took over the lead just prior to pitting on lap 188. He was scored 15th when an incident brought out the caution with less than 10 laps to go. The team opted not to pit, and Elliott restarted from the outside of row eight with four laps remaining. He stayed in contention and took over the lead on the final lap. However, he was involved in a multi-car incident coming to the checkered flag and ultimately finished fourth.
“It seemed really fortunate to get through the first crash, and that opened the door to somehow get to the lead,” Elliott said after the race. “But then I got pushed clear and I think the No. 38 was behind me and pushed me clear by everybody down the back, and then it was just he and I. We got a good ways out there and we were just in a lot of trouble because momentum had shifted. At that point, I was just on extreme defense, and then from there, I was just trying to defend as best I could without crashing myself, but everybody else ended up crashing anyway. Maybe I should have just wrecked myself trying to block. But, yeah, I hate that. Obviously very close but close doesn’t cut it.”
Elliott leaves Daytona International Speedway third in the Cup Series points standings, just 15 markers behind the leader.
Start / Finish: 4 / 4
Points Standing / Total: 3rd / 43 pts. (-15)
Next Race: Sunday, February 22, EchoPark Speedway
How to Watch or Listen: 3:00 p.m. ET on FOX, SiriusXM or PRN
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