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Eckes Earns Second-Consecutive Top-10 at Las Vegas
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By NAPA
Chase Elliott and the No. 9 link hidden, please login to view team qualified fourth for Sunday’s NASCAR Cup Series race at Sonoma Raceway, leading the Hendrick Motorsports contingent. The 28-year-old driver finished stage one in fourth and followed that up with a 31st-place result in stage two after short pitting. In the final stage, Elliott took over the lead on lap 81 during the pit cycle prior to visiting pit road on lap 84 for four tires and fuel. Rejoining the race in the 12th position, he battled back to fourth before the checkered flag waved. The Dawsonville, Georgia, native advanced to second in the driver points standings and is now just 14 markers behind the leader. Chase Elliott and the No. 9 NAPA Gold Filters team qualified fourth for Sunday’s NASCAR Cup Series race at Sonoma Raceway, leading Hendrick Motorsports’ four-car contingent. Elliott’s No. 9 NAPA Gold Filters Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 showed speed from the drop of the green flag. He maintained his fourth-place running position in the opening laps. When the caution flag was displayed on lap three, Elliott relayed to crew chief Alan Gustafson that the NAPA Gold Filters Chevy’s handling wasn’t bad. Opting to restart from the outside lane in the third row, the 28-year-old driver retook the fourth position on lap seven and remained there until the yellow flag waved again on lap 16. Staying out under the caution, he restarted from third on lap 19 and was scored in fourth when another incident brought out the caution the very same lap. The No. 9 team opted not to pit, and Elliott took the green flag from the second row on lap 23. With the remainder of the stage going caution-free, the 2020 Cup Series champion took the green-and-white checkered flag in the fourth position at the conclusion of lap 25.
Elliott remained on the track during the stage break, lining up third to start the second segment of the race on lap 30. After initially holding onto the third position, Elliott got loose and slipped to fourth before the caution came out on lap 32. Once again, the team opted not to pit under the yellow. This time, Elliott chose the outside lane for the lap-35 restart. He was scored fifth when another incident slowed the race just one lap later. Staying out, Elliott lined up fifth on lap 40. A chaotic restart triggered another caution, with the driver of the No. 9 Chevy being scored seventh at the time of the yellow flag. As part of the team’s strategy, Elliott again did not visit pit road. He restarted seventh on lap 43 and improved to sixth before coming to pit road under the green flag on lap 51 for four tires and fuel. He re-entered the track and laid down the fastest lap of the race before ending stage two in the 31st position on lap 55.
“I feel like my balance is pretty good here. Just have to put it together,” was the report from Elliott under the stage-ending caution. He took the green flag for the final stage from the 25th position on lap 60 and improved to 15th before teams began making their final pit stops of the race on lap 68. Elliott remained on the track and took over the lead on lap 81. Just three laps later, Gustafson called his driver to pit road for four fresh tires and fuel. Elliott rejoined the race in the 12th position and re-entered the top 10 with 23 laps to go. He continued to press forward and was up to seventh with four laps remaining. He gained three more positions to earn a fourth-place result when the checkered flag waved.
The result was Elliott’s fourth top-five finish at Sonoma in the Cup Series and his sixth top-five of the 2024 season. A strong points day moved Elliott up to second in the driver points standings, just 14 markers behind the leader.
“It was a normal road course race,” Elliott said. “I felt like we were on the right strategy, I just lost too much time there early in the race. I fell back a few rows and felt like our group that we were racing against were who we were probably going to be racing for the win. Fell behind there early; lost a couple of rows and just never could get it back. I’m not sure I had the pace Kyle (Larson, race winner) had, but thought we were a solid top-three to five car and that’s where we finished. We’ll try again next week.”
Start / Finish: 4 / 4
Points Standing / Total: 2nd / 547 pts. (-14)
Next Race: Sunday, June 16, Iowa Speedway
How to Watch or Listen: USA, MRN or SiriusXM
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By NAPA
Chase Elliott and the No. 9 link hidden, please login to view team qualified 17th for Sunday’s NASCAR Cup Series race at WWT Raceway. The 28-year-old driver advanced to 10th to end the first stage before finishing the second stage in the fourth position. During the final stage, pit strategy came into play. After pitting for right-side tires and fuel on lap 208, Elliott took the checkered flag to earn a 13th-place finish. The Dawsonville, Georgia, native advanced to third in the driver points standings, just 27 markers behind the leader. Chase Elliott and the No. 9 NAPA Auto Parts team qualified 17th for Sunday’s NASCAR Cup Series race at WWT Raceway. The 28-year-old driver’s No. 9 NAPA Auto Parts Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 showed speed from the drop of the green flag. At a track that was difficult to pass on, Elliott advanced to 15th by lap two and was scored 16th when the first caution of the race came out on lap three. Staying out, Elliott restarted from the 16th position and improved to 14th before another yellow flag waved on lap 17. The Dawsonville, Georgia, native radioed to crew chief Alan Gustafson that the No. 9 NAPA Chevy had “a little more build to the right rear than I’d like to have.” The team ultimately made the call not to pit and Elliott lined up 13th for the lap-23 restart. From there, he pressed forward and entered the top 10 for the first time of the race on lap 26. He remained there until the green-and-white checkered flag waved to end the first stage on lap 45.
Under the stage-ending caution, Elliott relayed that he didn’t think the No. 9 NAPA Chevy was in a bad place. Gustafson called his driver to pit road for four tires, fuel and an air-pressure adjustment. With some teams opting not to pit and others pitting for only two tires, Elliott took the green for stage two from the 17th position on lap 55. During a chaotic opening lap, the 2020 Cup Series champion was battling four-wide for position when the NAPA Chevrolet was forced up into the wall. Elliott was able to stay out on the track but reported that the contact knocked the toe out. Still, he continued to advance his position, moving into the top 10 on lap 56 and improving to sixth by lap 72. As a long green-flag run ensued, pit stops got under way on lap 91 with Elliott pitting from the third position on lap 96. Gustafson made the call for right-side tires and fuel. Elliott re-entered the track in the 24th position and improved to 15th before a caution slowed the race at lap 112. Opting not to pit under the yellow, Elliott restarted from the second position on lap 120. He continued to race in the runner-up spot until the closing laps of the stage when cars on fresher tires caught up to him. The Hendrick Motorsports driver held his own and remained inside the top-five running order to finish stage two in the fourth position on lap 140.
Elliott brought the NAPA Chevrolet to the attention of his crew for four tires and fuel during the stage break. With teams on varying pit strategies, the driver of the No. 9 lined up 14th to start the final stage on lap 149. Elliott continued to battle inside the top 20 and was scored 13th when the first of the teams started making pit stops on lap 174. Having pitted more recently than some of the field, Elliott remained on the track and reported to his team that the NAPA Chevrolet was “tighter with the front end and loose with the back.” Gustafson called Elliott to pit road from the second position on lap 208 for right-side tires and fuel. He was running in 12th once the pit cycle was completed on lap 225. When the checkered flag waved on lap 240, Elliott crossed the line to finish 13th.
Elliott improved one position in the driver points standings and is now third, only 27 markers behind the leader.
Start / Finish: 17 / 13
Points Standing / Total: 3rd / 507 pts. (-27)
Next Race: Sunday, June 9, Sonoma Raceway
How to Watch or Listen: 3:30 p.m. ET on FOX, PRN or SiriusXM
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By NAPA
Christian Eckes finished second on Saturday afternoon for the third-straight season at World Wide Technology Raceway. The driver of the No. 19 Gates Hydraulics Chevrolet Silverado RST led for the 12th-straight race this season and delivered a 53-point performance, tied for the most of all drivers in the field. Eckes now holds a 31-point advantage in the NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series (NCTS) standings after 12 races with four remaining in the regular season.
Eckes was near the front of the field for the entire weekend in St. Louis. On Friday afternoon, he posted the second-quickest lap in practice and qualified second. After cloudy and rainy skies gave way to bright sunshine on Saturday afternoon, Eckes fired off in the second position and threatened for the lead. A restart on lap 16 gave him the opportunity to briefly claim the race lead in the 12th event this season. While he battled a tight handling condition, Eckes maintained the second position for the balance of Stage 1 to earn nine points on lap 35.
Crew chief Charles Denike elected to put four tires on Eckes’ Gates Hydraulics Chevrolet during the stage caution as varying strategies developed. Eckes restarted 12th on lap 42, but swiftly made his way back towards the front. He restarted eighth on lap 55 after a quick yellow and immediately rejoined the top five on lap 56. The balance on his Chevrolet was improved but a tight condition still lingered. He took the third spot on lap 64 and reclaimed second on lap 67. He collected another nine points at the end of Stage 2 on lap 70.
During the second stage caution, Eckes took another set of fresh tires, but an issue on the left front relegated him to restart 12th on lap 78. Despite the setback, Eckes locked in and drove forward yet again to blitz his way back into the top five on lap 91. A long green flag run set up a cycle of green flag pit stops beginning at lap 118. Eckes pitted for the final time on lap 122 under green for four tires and a minor adjustment. He narrowly unlapped himself before the race’s final caution flew on lap 130. Eckes cycled to third for the event’s final restart on lap 137. He seized control of a podium position on the restart and moved into second on lap 150. Eckes began to reel in the leader in the waning laps but took the checkered flag in second position for his sixth top-five finish of the season.
“The whole weekend was second,” Eckes said. “We practiced in second. We qualified second. Second in both stages and second in the race. Consistent on that, but just definitely let one slip there. I felt like we should have won that race and felt like we had the best truck, but just got behind on track position and never could get it back up. Just super hard to pass and here we are running second. Can’t thank Gates Hydraulics, NAPA, Chevrolet, and everybody enough, and Sparks Tire & Auto.”
Start / Finish: 2 / 2
Points Standing / Total: 1st / 506 pts. (+31)
Next Race: Friday, June 28, Nashville Superspeedway
How to Watch or Listen: FS2, MRN or SiriusXM
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By NAPA
Christian Eckes took an unorthodox path to secure a top-10 finish and extended his points lead on Friday night at Charlotte Motor Speedway (CMS). The driver of the No. 19
link hidden, please login to view Chevrolet Silverado RST earned a 10th-place finish after persevering through a trying day and now owns a 30-point advantage in the NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series (NCTS) championship standings after 11 of 16 regular season races. Eckes was instantly faced with adversity in practice after posting the third-quickest time in the session. He received significant damage to the left side of his Chevrolet after contact from another truck in practice and forced the team to make major repairs. Consequently, Eckes was scrubbed in qualifying and started from the tail of the field. The repairs did not deter Eckes as he targeted the front and rapidly charged forward at the start. He advanced from 35th to 14th by the end of Stage 1 on lap 30, despite simultaneously dealing with a low voltage issue.
Under the first stage caution, crew chief Charles Denike and the NAPA team executed an efficient diagnosis of the situation which was attributed to a disconnected alternator. The team kept Eckes on the lead lap during the pit cycle to make repairs, but he was forced to restart at the tail of the lead lap. Once again, Eckes moved forward and advanced to 20th by the end of Stage 2 on lap 60.
After pitting during the stage break, Eckes also pitted under caution on lap 75. The strategy allowed him to get off sequence with most of the lead lap trucks, and it paid off with a caution on lap 81. As the majority hit pit road, Eckes stayed on track to inherit the fifth position for the lap 88 restart. In his trademark fashion, Eckes wasted no time on the restart and immediately went from fifth to first. He paced the field for 37 laps while in fuel-savings mode until the final caution flew on lap 121. Eckes elected to stay on track in the lead as all but six trucks behind him dove to pit road for fresh tires. Over the final nine laps Eckes did his best to hold off competitors the fresh rubber, but took the checkered flag in 11th position.
Following post-race technical inspection, the No. 11 truck was disqualified and Eckes was credited with a 10th-place finish.
“We had a ton of adversity all day, for sure.” Eckes said. “We put ourselves in position to win the race and needed it to go green to the end for everything to work out like we wanted. It’s unfortunate, but really proud of the effort all these guys showed on our NAPA Auto Care, Black’s Tire Chevrolet. To get this truck repaired and turned around to race with that much speed says a lot about our team. Really proud of that and we’ll try to finish it off at Gateway next week.”
Start / Finish: 35 / 10
Points Standing / Total: 1st / 453 pts. (+30)
Next Race: Saturday, June 1, WWT Raceway
How to Watch or Listen: FOX, MRN or SiriusXM
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By NAPA
Christian Eckes turned in a solid effort on Sunday afternoon at North Wilkesboro Speedway which resulted in a sixth-place finish. The driver of the No. 19 Instacoat Premium Products Chevrolet Silverado RST recorded his eighth top-10 finish in a row and maintained the NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series points lead by four markers after 10 of 16 regular season events.
Eckes started the event from the pole after qualifying was washed out by inclement weather Saturday morning. The 250-lapper went green under threatening skies on Saturday and Eckes continued his dominant short track ways by leading the first 62 laps. He made a pit stop for left side tires under a lap-58 caution and restarted 10th on lap 68. He advanced to seventh position by lap 70 to collect four points at the conclusion of Stage 1. Severe thunderstorms and torrential rains overcame North Wilkesboro during the caution period and postponed the remainder of the race until Sunday morning.
When the event resumed under sunny skies on Sunday, Eckes restarted sixth and immediately charged into the top-five. He ran as high as third on lap 103 until a caution slowed the field at lap 117. Crew chief Charles Denike called Eckes in for his second and final pit stop of the event for right sides during the caution. He restarted 10th and utilized the outside lane to perfection and instantly climbed to seventh. The move on the restart netted Eckes another four points at the end of Stage 2 on lap 140.
After briefly dropping to 10th after a restart on lap 147, Eckes regained his footing and reentered the top five by lap 190. He remained a threat by lining up third for a restart with 37 laps to go but was pinned on the bottom lane. After waging war in a multi-truck battle for a top-five position over the final 30 laps, Eckes took the checkered flag in sixth position for his best finish in two starts at North Wilkesboro.
“I kind of struggled all day,” Eckes said. “Balance wasn’t great. Just proud of the Instacoat guys for the effort. We weren’t very good on Friday when we were practicing and we got it better, but it still just wasn’t enough. Just way too tight at the end. We’ll move on to Charlotte with the number one pit stall, so excited for that.”
Start / Finish: 1 / 6
Points Standing / Total: 1st / 426 pts. (+4)
Next Race: Friday, May 24, Charlotte Motor Speedway
How to Watch or Listen: 8:30 p.m. ET on FS1, MRN or SiriusXM
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