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| Chase Elliott wrecked in both 2017 Talladega races. |
“I have never disliked it, I think it’s kind of one of those things that we have to do. The races pay the same amount of points as the rest of them, so you might as well embrace it. We have had some really fast cars and led some laps. We have had opportunities, just haven’t had the end results to prove the kind of runs we have had. Just going to keep doing what we have been doing there.”
Elliott on the differences between Daytona and Talladega:
“Talladega is just wider and it’s a little more inviting to be three-wide more often. I feel like people get a little braver there just because it is wider and it looks welcoming.”
NAPA AUTO PARTS CHEVROLET: This weekend at Talladega Superspeedway, the familiar blue, white and yellow NAPA AUTO PARTS paint scheme will grace the No. 9 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1. The Atlanta-based company will serve as majority sponsor for Chase Elliott and the No. 9 team for 26 NASCAR Cup Series races this year.
TALLADEGA STATS: Elliott will make his fifth start at Talladega Superspeedway this weekend. The 22-year-old driver earned the pole award in his first start at the track in May 2016 and garnered a top-five finish. Elliott has led 62 laps and averages a starting position of 3.8 and finishing position of 15.8 at the track. In his most recent visit to the track in October 2017, Elliott led three different times for a total of 26 laps and ultimately took home a 16th-place finish after he was collected in a multiple-car incident while trying to take the lead in the final 10 laps. The Dawsonville, Georgia, native also has three starts at Talladega in the NASCAR Xfinity Series, collecting one top-10 finish.
RICHMOND REWIND: Elliott started on the outside pole for the NASCAR Cup Series race at Richmond Raceway and ran inside the top five for much of Stage 1 until tire fall-off saw him begin to slip back a few spots. Elliott managed to maintain a top-10 position, finishing the first stage in seventh. The 22-year-old driver continued to race inside the top 10 for the majority of the second stage as well until he radioed to his team that he was battling the handling of the No. 9 NAPA Brakes Chevrolet Camaro ZL1, reporting he might have used up the tires too quickly. Elliott fell to 15th before the green-checkered flag waved at the end of Stage 2. He began the final segment in ninth and continued to push inside the top 10 for the remainder of the race. With the help of a few great restarts by Elliott and quick stops by the NAPA Brakes pit crew, the No. 9 team collected a runner-up finish when the checkered flag waved. The finish marks the eighth runner-up result of Elliott’s career – the same number his father, Bill Elliott, amassed before capturing his first NASCAR Cup Series win.
GUSTAFSON AT RESTRICTOR-PLATE TRACKS: Crew chief Alan Gustafson will call his 54th Cup Series race from atop the pit box at a restrictor-plate track this weekend at Talladega. In his previous 53 races calling the shots for five different drivers at Talladega and Daytona International Speedway, he collected eight top-five results – three of which were runner-up finishes – nine top-10s, 384 laps led and nine pole awards.
GET YOUR VOTES IN: The All-Star Race at Charlotte Motor Speedway is quickly approaching and Elliott is among 20 drivers who are not yet locked into the event. In both 2016 and 2017, Elliott was voted into the All-Star field by the fans. This year, fans have the same opportunity to get their favorite driver into the ranks to compete for a chance to win the $1 million All-Star Race purse by voting once a day at www.nascar.com/fanvote. Votes shared via Facebook or Twitter will count double toward a driver's total. Voting is now open and will close at 11:59 p.m. ET on Friday, May 18.
CHARLOTTE RACE WEEKEND SWEEPSTAKES: With the help of Hooters, Elliott has put together an amazing Memorial Day race weekend VIP experience like no other. For as little as a $10 donation to the Chase Elliott Foundation, fans will be entered to win a grand prize trip for two to Charlotte, North Carolina, to meet the driver of the No. 9 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 and attend not only the NASCAR Cup Series race at Charlotte Motor Speedway (Sunday, May 27), but also the 22nd Annual Hooters International Pageant the night before the race. Airfare, hotel, VIP tickets to the Hooters Pageant and garage/pit passes are all included. The more you donate, the more chances you have to win the grand prize trip. When you make a donation, you can also receive special rewards like exclusive T-shirts, signed hero cards and die-casts, and even garage/pit passes to your favorite NASCAR race. Click here for more information or to make a donation.
ELLIOTT AT CHEVY STAGE: On Sunday, April 29, Elliott will appear at the Team Chevy Stage in the fan zone at 10:30 a.m. local time for a question-and-answer session.
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