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| Half of Chase Elliott's eight Kansas starts have been top-fives. |
“To me, Kansas feels like such a small mile and half compared to some of the other ones we go to. I just feel like the corners are sharper than some other places and with it being progressively banked, the top side is going to continue to become dominant. I think in a way, it’s going to turn into Homestead in some situations and as time goes on. The way the corners are shaped, it’s kind of small and that top groove having more banking than the other ones as you move down the track is going to make it a top-dominant racetrack. Typically, those tracks put on good shows, so I expect it to age really well. I look forward to racing there this weekend. It is a fun track.”
HALFWAY THERE: The NASCAR Cup Series has officially hit the halfway point of 2020. Chase Elliott, driver of the No. 9 NAPA AUTO PARTS Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 1LE, has seven top-five finishes – the most he has collected through 18 races in a season – and nine top-10s. His 451 laps led are also a career high at this point in the year and are currently fifth-most in the series. He continues to lead all drivers with five stage wins. In the first half, Elliott also has garnered the third-most stage points (179) and is currently fifth in the driver standings, 117 points behind leader Kevin Harvick.
KANSAS STATS: On Thursday, Elliott is set to make his ninth Kansas Speedway start in the NASCAR Cup Series. He averaged a third-place finish in the two races at Kansas in 2019, the best of all drivers in the series. In Elliott’s previous eight starts at the track, he garnered one win, four top-five finishes – tied with Charlotte for the second-most at any track in his career – and five top-10s. He has finished inside the top five in four of the last five races at the 1.5-mile track. Elliott’s three consecutive top-fives are tied with Charlotte and Michigan for the most at a single track in his Cup Series career. He also has finished inside the top 10 in every stage in the last three events at Kansas.
LAST TIME AROUND: Last October, in a double-overtime event at Kansas Speedway, a gutsy late-race drive from Elliott yielded a second-place finish. The runner-up result allowed him to advance to the NASCAR Cup Series playoffs Round of 8 for the third consecutive season.
WEEKDAY WARRIOR: Since the Cup Series returned in May from a two-month hiatus, Elliott has won two of the five events run on weekdays: the 300-mile race at Charlotte Motor Speedway on Thursday, May 28, and the NASCAR All-Star Race at Bristol Motor Speedway on Wednesday, July 15.
1.5-MILE TRACKS IN 2020: In seven 1.5-mile races in 2020, Elliott won at Charlotte Motor Speedway on May 28 and has two runner-up finishes, which lead all drivers. On 1.5-milers, he has led the fifth-most laps (189) in the Cup Series and his three top-five finishes are tied for the third-most. His two stage wins are tied for second-most in the series this season.
NAPA AT KANSAS: On Thursday night at Kansas Speedway, the No. 9 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 1LE will don the familiar blue, white and yellow NAPA AUTO PARTS paint scheme. The Atlanta-based company is serving as majority sponsor for Elliott and the No. 9 team for a total of 26 NASCAR Cup Series races this season.
PIT PROWESS: Through 18 NASCAR Cup Series races in 2020, the No. 9 NAPA team owns the second-best average time for four-tire stops at 13.92 seconds.
WELCOME HOME: No. 9 team jackman T.J. Semke hails from Lee’s Summit, Missouri, less than 40 miles from Kansas Speedway. Before stepping on the football field at the University of Kansas in 2012, Semke was a part-time bounty hunter. The 25-year-old was a defensive lineman for the Kansas Jayhawks for three years, earning Academic All-Big 12 Second Team honors twice. Semke signed with Hendrick Motorsports in October 2016.
BEHIND THE 9: Crew chief Alan Gustafson is trying his hand as a host in a new Hendrick Motorsports video series called “Behind the 9” in which he interviews each member of the No. 9 crew. Fans are able to learn about where they came from and the role they serve on the team, with each bringing a unique personality and skillset. Episodes are released every Tuesday on the Hendrick Motorsports Facebook page and YouTube channel. The most recent episode features tire carrier Jared Erspamer.
