“I have enjoyed road racing in these cars. I think road course racing suits these cars well, which is fun. We don’t do it a whole lot and that makes it cool when we do have a chance. I’ve enjoyed it. Sonoma is a very tough racetrack and it’s been an extreme challenge for me to try and get around there at a decent pace. I always look forward to going out there. It’s a cool part of the country and since we only go there once a year, that’s what makes it special.”
Elliott on the difference between Sonoma and Watkins Glen:
“Everything. You are still road course racing, for sure, but your habits and tendencies that you’d have at Watkins Glen, you would just never get away with at Sonoma. It’s a lot more finesse, I feel like, at Sonoma, a lot more making sure you hit your marks and doing the right things to make your tires live. Watkins Glen, with the repave that happened a few years ago now, it’s kind of just everything you've got, every lap, and it’s very different. Obviously, the pace is polar opposite. Sonoma isn’t slow, but it is certainly not fast like Watkins Glen is."
ROAD COURSE RINGER: Chase Elliott proved his road course prowess in 2018 after collecting his first career NASCAR Cup Series victory at Watkins Glen International. The win made Elliott the ninth-youngest first-time winner in the Cup Series (22 years, eight months, eight days) and the youngest road course winner of all time. In 2018, he was one of only three drivers to finish inside the top 10 in all three road course races (Sonoma, Watkins Glen, Charlotte "roval") and he also garnered the second-most laps led on road courses (52) behind only Martin Truex Jr. (71) last season. The Dawsonville, Georgia, native held the best average finish on road courses last season (3.67) and his 141 points collected on those tracks were 20 more points than any other driver.
SONOMA STATS: Elliott is set to make his fourth Cup Series start at Sonoma Raceway this weekend. In his previous Cup starts at the road course, the driver of the No. 9 NAPA AUTO PARTS Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 hah an average starting position of 9.0 and finishing position of 11.0. The 23-year-old driver earned his first top-10 result at Sonoma in 2017 and followed it up last season, posting a fourth-place finish, his first top-five road-course result.
ROAD COURSE ROUNDUP: In his seven previous starts in the Cup Series at road courses, Elliott has collected two top-five finishes – including his win at Watkins Glen – and four top-10s. He has started in the top five in each of his last four road course races, and finished in the top six in the last three for an average finish of 3.67. In the NASCAR Xfinity Series (Road America, Watkins Glen, Mid-Ohio) the No. 9 Chevy driver finished inside the top 10 in all six starts and collected four top-five finishes. Elliott also garnered victories in both the NASCAR Truck Series (Canadian Tire Motorsport Park, 2013) and K&N Pro Series West (Sonoma Raceway, 2016) at road courses.
GUSTAFSON AT ROAD COURSES: No. 9 team crew chief Alan Gustafson will call his 30th road course race from atop the pit box this weekend. In his previous 29 starts with five different drivers (Elliott, Jeff Gordon, Mark Martin, Casey Mears and Kyle Busch), Gustafson has collected one win – with Elliott last season at Watkins Glen – one pole award, six top-five finishes and 12 top-10s.
LAST SIX: The driver of the No. 9 Chevy is currently on a streak of leading laps in six straight races, behind only Brad Keselowski's active streak of eight straight. He has collected five top-five finishes (Talladega – first; Dover – fifth; Kansas – fourth; Charlotte – fourth; Pocono – fourth) in the last six events. Over those six races, he has averaged a starting position of 14.2 and finishing position of 6.3 while leading 281 laps.
DARLINGTON SCHEME REVEALED: Last week, the No. 9 team unveiled the Darlington throwback scheme via social media that will hit the track in September. The ride mirrors the fourth-ever NASCAR Cup Series car of Elliott’s father, NASCAR Hall of Famer Bill Elliott. He drove it while racing for his father, George Elliott, in the 1981 season. That year, Bill Elliott captured his first Cup Series pole at Darlington and earned seven top-10 finishes. Click here for a closer look at the throwback No. 9 NAPA AUTO PARTS Chevrolet Camaro ZL1.
HOOTERS PAGEANT: Before heading to Sonoma, Elliott will serve as a judge for the 23rd Annual Hooters International Pageant at Lake Tahoe on Thursday. The crowned pageant winner will also become a brand ambassador for Hooters that leads the #Hooters9 Crew in cheering on the No. 9 team. The pageant will also feature a special concert from award-winning country music singer-songwriter Lee Brice. For more information, click here.
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