Wednesday, September 5, 2018

Chase Elliott top-10s in past six races heading to Indy

Chase Elliott is 20/1 to win Sunday at Indy
Chase Elliott on racing at Indianapolis:
“I think it will be really similar to what it’s been there in the past. Unfortunately, it hasn’t been the best track for me. I think that we can go up there and make the most of it and try to get a little better than what we have been in the past. That is the ultimate goal and we will see where we stack up this go around.”

IN 2018, SO FAR: Chase Elliott has garnered some impressive stats through the first 25 races of the 2018 season. The driver of the No. 9 NAPA AUTO PARTS Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 won his first career NASCAR Cup Series race in August at Watkins Glen – clinching his spot in the playoffs in the process – and has collected eight top-five finishes and 14 top-10s. He has led a total of 220 laps and averages a starting position of 11.2 and finishing position of 12.2. Seven times this season, Elliott has captured his best career finish at a track – Watkins Glen (first), Richmond (second), Bristol (third), Talladega (third), Sonoma (fourth), New Hampshire (fifth), and Darlington (fifth). Elliott currently ranks seventh in the playoff standings as the series heads into the regular-season finale this weekend.

KEEPING THE STREAK ALIVE: Elliott continues to keep his top-10 streak alive as the Cup Series heads to Indianapolis Motor Speedway. The 22-year-old driver has finished inside the top 10 in each of the last six races (New Hampshire, Pocono, Watkins Glen, Michigan, Bristol, and Darlington), tying his longest career top-10 streak, which came during his rookie season and spanned six races from Talladega (May) to Michigan (June).

LAST SIX: During his six-race top-10 streak, Elliott has led 201 laps after leading just 19 laps through the previous 19 races. He has also improved his average finish to 5.0 during that span compared to 14.42 during the first 19 races of the season. His four top-five finishes in the past six races match his total from the first 19 races.

ELLIOTT’S FAVORITE STREET: This month, Elliott is featured in the September issue of Delta Sky Magazine as part of its “My Favorite Street” feature. The Dawsonville, Georgia, native discussed his favorite street and places to visit in Costa Rica.

DARLINGTON REWIND: Elliott and the No. 9 NAPA AUTO PARTS team raced inside the top 10 for the majority of the evening in the Southern 500 last weekend at Darlington Raceway en route to a fifth-place finish – a career best finish at the 1.366-mile track.

HOME SWEET HOME: No. 9 team engineer Tom Gray hails from Indianapolis. Gray attended Purdue University and majored in mechanical engineering technology.

SEE ELLIOTT AT INDY: On Sunday, Sept. 9, Elliott will appear at the Team Chevy Stage at 11:30 a.m. local time for a question-and-answer session.

DOUBLE DUTY: In addition to his full-time duty piloting the No. 9 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 in the Cup Series, Elliott will once again compete in the NASCAR Xfinity Series race driving the No. 23 Chevrolet for GMS Racing on Saturday at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

MTJF STEERING WHEEL: Throughout the month of September, Elliott will run the Martin Truex Jr. Foundation steering wheel center pad in his No. 9 machine. September is Ovarian and Childhood Cancer Awareness Month. The foundation is raising awareness and funding for the diseases through the steering wheel program.

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