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Eckes’ Late Rally at COTA Results in Top-10 Finish
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By NAPA
Chase Elliott and the No. 9 UniFirst team qualified 31st for Sunday’s NASCAR Cup Series race at Darlington Raceway. Elliott methodically worked his way forward in the first stage to earn a 26th-place result before ending stage two in 16th. After an issue during a pit stop relegated Elliott outside the top 20 to start the final stage, he battled back to take the checkered flag in the 12th position. The 2020 Cup Series champion ranks fourth in the points standings and is just 49 markers behind the leader. Chase Elliott qualified 31st for Sunday’s NASCAR Cup Series race at Darlington Raceway. Driving the No. 9 UniFirst Throwback Chevrolet Camaro ZL1, Elliott maneuvered his way to 29th by lap 22 and was in that same position when the team made its first pit stop of the race for four tires, fuel and an air-pressure adjustment on lap 37. Once the field cycled through green-flag pit stops, Elliott was up to the 23rd position. Further into the run, the 2020 Cup Series champion relayed that he hurt his right-rear tire as he began to lose some track position. When the green-and-white checkered flag waved to end stage one, Elliott was scored in the 26th position.
Under the stage-ending caution, crew chief Alan Gustafson made the call for chassis and air-pressure adjustments during the team’s pit stop for four tires and fuel. Elliott was the 23rd driver to choose his lane to start the second stage. He chose the inside lane prior to taking the green flag on lap 98. The Hendrick Motorsports driver continued to battle inside the top 25 and was scored in 22nd when the caution flag waved on lap 120. Elliott radioed to Gustafson that the UniFirst Chevrolet was too tight during the course of that run, so the team opted to reverse the previous chassis adjustment when Elliott visited pit road for fresh tires and fuel. The Dawsonville, Georgia, native restarted from the 21st position on lap 128 and was up to 19th when the yellow flag was displayed again just one lap later.
Staying out, he restarted 19th and advanced to 17th early before dropping back outside of the top 20. Elliott reported that the UniFirst Chevrolet was still too tight. When another caution flag came out on lap 164, the team called Elliott in for four tires, fuel and an air-pressure adjustment. He was 20th to choose his lane and took the outside for the restart on lap 169. From there, he pressed forward and nearly entered the top 15 before the end of the second stage, ultimately finishing it in the 16th position on lap 185.
After an issue during the team’s pit stop under the stage break, Elliott lined up deep in the field to start the final stage on lap 193. He was up to 24th on lap 212 and reported shortly after that his No. 9 UniFirst Chevy would be ok if he had good track position. He improved one more spot before coming to pit road under the green flag for four tires and fuel on lap 226. Once the pit cycle concluded, he was scored in 13th and advanced to 12th before cars on fresher tires started gaining on him. He was in 16th when a caution came out on lap 254 and was 14th to choose his lane after pitting for four tires and fuel. He chose the outside lane for the lap-260 restart and battled hard in the closing laps of the race to take the checkered flag in the 12th position.
The Hendrick Motorsports driver leaves Darlington fourth in the Cup Series points standings, just 49 markers behind the leader.
Start / Finish: 31 / 12
Points Standing / Total: 4th / 437 pts.
Next Race: Sunday, May 19, North Wilkesboro Speedway
How to Watch or Listen: 8:00 p.m. ET on FS1, MRN or SiriusXM
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By NAPA
Christian Eckes reclaimed the NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series points lead with a steady fourth-place result at Darlington Raceway on Friday night. The driver of the No. 19 Gates Hydraulics Chevrolet Silverado RST captured his fourth consecutive top-five finish to lead the championship standings for the second time this season. Eckes delivered a monster points night by earning 50 markers, the most of all drivers in the field, and now holds a 14-point advantage after nine races.
Eckes’ red and yellow Brownie King throwback scheme set the fastest lap in Friday afternoon’s practice session and turned in the seventh-quickest qualifying lap. The 2023 Darlington Raceway winner immediately cracked the top five on lap two when the evening’s first caution flew. He instantly jumped into a podium position on the lap six restart and began to stalk the race lead. While the balance on his Chevrolet swung free in the first segment, Eckes managed to track down the race leader in the first 45 laps. Stage 1 came to a close on lap 45 with Eckes running second and claimed nine points.
Under the first stage caution, crew chief Charles Denike brought Eckes to pit road for four tires, fuel, and a minor adjustment to secure his free balance. Eckes restarted third and took control of the runner-up position by lap 71. While he attempted to reel in the race lead in the waning laps of Stage 2, he surrendered that position to a fellow Chevrolet competitor that had fresher tires with an alternative strategy. Nevertheless, Eckes banked another eight points at the end of Stage 2 on lap 90.
Eckes pitted again under the stage caution for more of the same service, fresh tires and a small adjustment. He restarted third on lap 98 and took the lead for the first time on lap 106. As the final segment progressed, Eckes’ loose handling condition did also. The rear of his Gates Hydraulics Chevrolet progressively lost grip and caused him to lose touch with the lead. However, a caution on lap 143 reset the field for an overtime finish. With fresh tires, Eckes lined up sixth on the final restart and navigated his way through a chaotic conclusion to collect a fourth-place finish.
“At times we were good, times we weren’t,” Eckes said. “Real inconsistent as far as handling, sets of tires, everything was kind of inconsistent for us. Proud of the execution. Proud of a top-five but felt like we were probably a little more capable than that. We kind of let the balance get away from us on our Gates Hydraulics Chevrolet. On to Wilkesboro.”
Start / Finish: 7 / 4
Points Standing / Total: 1st / 387 pts.
Next Race: Saturday, May 18, North Wilkesboro Speedway
How to Watch or Listen: 1:30 p.m. ET on FS1, MRN or SiriusXM
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By NAPA
Chase Elliott and the No. 9 link hidden, please login to view team qualified ninth for Sunday’s NASCAR Cup Series race at Kansas Speedway. Elliott finished stage one in 10th and followed that up with an 11th-place result in stage two. The 28-year-old driver lined up fourth for an overtime restart in the final stage, driving to a third-place finish. It was Elliott’s second consecutive top-five result and his fifth top-five in the last six Cup Series races. The 2020 NASCAR Cup Series champion ranks third in the points standings, just 55 markers behind the leader. Chase Elliott started ninth in Sunday’s rain-delayed NASCAR Cup Series race at Kansas Speedway and was scored in the 14th position on lap 10 when he reported that his No. 9 NAPA Auto Parts Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 was tight. As the run went on, he radioed that his Chevy’s handling was coming to him. Elliott was in 15th when green-flag pit stops started near lap 30. Crew chief Alan Gustafson called the driver of the No. 9 to pit road on lap 33 for four tires, fuel and an air-pressure adjustment. He was back inside the top 15 once the field cycled through pit stops. By lap 62, he found his way to 10th where he remained to end stage one on lap 80.
After pitting for four tires and fuel during the stage break, Elliott took the green flag for stage two from the ninth position on lap 89. A chaotic restart shuffled the 28-year-old driver back to 15th, but as the run went on, he made up ground and climbed to 12th by lap 113. As green-flag pit stops were drawing near, Gustafson asked Elliott for feedback on the NAPA Chevrolet. After receiving positive comments from his driver, Gustafson radioed for Elliott to visit pit road on lap 119 for four tires, fuel and an air-pressure adjustment. Once the pit cycle was complete, Elliott was back up to 12th and continued to close in on the cars ahead of him. By lap 143, he re-entered the top 10. He battled hard to remain in the 10th position, but another car just barely beat him to the line to finish stage two, relegating Elliott to 11th.
Under the stage-ending caution, Elliott reported that he really liked his NAPA Chevy’s balance. He brought the No. 9 Chevrolet to the attention of his pit crew for fuel and four fresh tires. A fast stop gained Elliott three spots on pit road. He started the final stage from the eighth position on lap 173. The early portion of the stage was plagued with cautions, with Elliott and the No. 9 team opting not to pit during the first few yellow flags. When the caution came out again on lap 198, Elliott pitted from the ninth position for four tires and fuel. Varying pit strategies put Elliott in the 20th position as the field lined up for the choose cone. He took the outside lane for the restart on lap 205 and powered his way back inside the top 15 on lap 208. Elliott continued his climb forward, reaching 10th less than 10 laps later. As the long green-flag run went on, he gained two more positions. Elliott was in eighth after a caution came out on lap 261, which sent the race into overtime. When pit road opened, Gustafson called Elliott in for right-side tires and fuel. Elliott was the fourth car off pit road, with the top nine cars all taking two tires. The 2020 Cup Series champion lined up on the outside of the second row for the overtime restart. He battled intensely in the final two laps to take the checkered flag in the third position.
The finish was Elliott’s second consecutive top-five finish and his fifth top-five in the last six Cup Series races. The Hendrick Motorsports driver leaves Kansas Speedway third in the Cup Series points standings, just 55 markers behind the leader.
Start / Finish: 9 / 3
Points Standing / Total: 3rd / 412 pts. (-55)
Next Race: Sunday, May 12, Darlington Raceway
How to Watch or Listen: 3:00 p.m. ET on FS1, MRN or SiriusXM
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By NAPA
Christian Eckes continued his remarkable consistency with a third-place finish on Saturday night at Kansas Speedway for his third-straight top-five result. The driver of the No. 19 Adaptive One Calipers Chevrolet Silverado RST led twice for 11 laps en route to his sixth-straight top-10 and continued his streak of leading laps in all eight events this season. Eckes netted 50 points on the night, second-most, and sits second in what is developing into a two-horse race for the NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series (NCTS) regular season crown.
Eckes posted the fourth-fastest single lap in Saturday morning’s practice session and qualified 10th for the 134-lap event. His patented aggression was on full display in the opening lap as he made multiple three-wide maneuvers to take the fifth position. A restart on lap seven after the race’s lone natural caution allowed him to take the fourth position and he advanced to third by lap 24. Eckes was able to pocket eight points at the end of Stage 1 on lap 30.
Crew chief Charles Denike called Eckes to pit road under the first stage caution where the No. 19 team ripped off a lightning four-tire stop to take the race lead. Eckes restarted as the race leader on lap 38 and led the field at the start of the second segment. A tight handling condition hampered Eckes’ pace, but he continued to maintain a podium position through the conclusion of Stage 2 at lap 60 to collect an additional eight points.
Denike and the No. 19 team armed Eckes with another set of tires and track bar adjustments to improve the balance during the second stage caution, and delivered another rapid pit stop to regain the lead. Eckes jumped out to a brief advantage on the lap 68 restart, but ran fourth by lap 82 due to a lingering tight condition. He made his final pit stop of the night under green on lap 96 and was able to cycle to third position by lap 103. He maintained pace with the race leader over the final 20-plus laps and took the checkered flag in third for his fourth top-five finish of the season.
“The Adaptive One Chevy was a little bit tight all day,” Eckes said. “We got it better at times, but just didn’t keep up with the racetrack enough. There’s a lot of race track changes that we just weren’t really anticipating and just couldn’t keep up with the racetrack. But still had a race-winning capable truck if we kept up with the balance. Definitely a lot to look forward to in the future here and just excited for the next couple races.”
Start / Finish: 10 / 3
Points Standing / Total: 2nd / 337 pts. (-7)
Next Race: Friday, May 10, Darlington Raceway
How to Watch or Listen: 7:30 p.m. ET on FS1, MRN or SiriusXM
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