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| Elliott won at Talladega last spring. |
“I think bringing fast cars to the track is number one. I also think we have been executing a little better over these past few weeks. I felt like before the break we had fast cars and we were in positions or fast enough to win at times, but we were just not executing well. I wasn’t doing a great job, we were having some struggles on pit road, just kind of the whole nine yards. I feel like since the break, a lot of that stuff has been cleaned up. I don’t want to say it’s perfect, cause it’s certainly not, but we’ve been executing races better I feel like as a whole, which in my opinion has put us in more positions to win.”
Elliott on racing at Talladega:
“Last year worked out really well for us. It was kind of one of those races where things just kind of just fell in our lap there towards the end of the race. We were super patient and just very disciplined as a group. I’m looking forward to getting back to Talladega this weekend with the Mountain Dew/Little Caesars Chevy and trying to do it all again.”
BANNER YEAR: With 12 races completed in the 2020 NASCAR Cup Series season, Chase Elliott ranks second in the driver standings. His two runner-up results, six top-five finishes and 422 laps led are all career highs through 12 races. The driver of the No. 9 Mountain Dew/Little Caesars Chevrolet ZL1 1LE has five stage wins, which equal his total for all of 2019.
LEADING THE FIELD: So far in 2020, Elliott leads all drivers with five stage wins, 141 stage points and a series-best 6.65 average running position. His six top-five finishes and 10 races led are tied for the most in the series.
THE STREAK CONTINUES: Elliott currently is tied with Joey Logano for the longest active streak of consecutive races led with seven. It is tied for Elliott’s longest-career stretch of leading laps.
PIZZA! PIZZA!: Thanks to Mountain Dew and Little Caesars, the No. 9 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 1LE will have a familiar look for this weekend’s race at Talladega Superspeedway. The Mountain Dew/Little Caesars paint scheme adorned Elliott’s car when he won at Talladega in April 2019. For more information, head over to LittleCaesars.com.
THIS RACE IN ‘19: Last year during the spring race at Talladega Superspeedway, Elliott brought home his fourth career NASCAR Cup Series win and first of the 2019 season. En route to the victory, he collected his first stage win of the year and led a total of 45 laps in the 188-lap event. Elliott lives in Dawsonville, Georgia, which is less than three hours from the 2.66-mile track.
‘DEGA STATS: This weekend, Elliott is set to make his ninth Talladega start in the NASCAR Cup Series. His first win at the track in April 2019 was also his first superspeedway win at the Cup level. In his previous eight starts, the 24-year-old driver has started outside the top 10 only once and earned the pole position twice – his first start at the track in May 2016 and during the most recent visit in October 2019. He currently holds the best active and sixth-best all-time average finish at Talladega (13.25) of drivers with a minimum of three starts. Elliott has garnered three top-five finishes and led 126 laps in his Cup Series career at the Alabama track. He also has three starts at Talladega in the NASCAR Xfinity Series with one top-10 finish.
A TOP-FIVE TRACK: Talladega Superspeedway is one of four tracks – along with Martinsville, Bristol and Michigan – where Elliott has scored three top-five finishes in the NASCAR Cup Series. The only tracks where he has more career top-fives are Dover (6) and Kansas (4).
GUSTAFSON AT TALLADEGA: No. 9 team crew chief Alan Gustafson will call his 31st Talladega Cup Series race from atop the pit box on Sunday. He collected his first superspeedway victory at 2.66-mile track on April 28, 2019, with Elliott and the Mountain Dew/Little Caesars team. In his previous 30 events calling the shots for five different drivers (Elliott, Kyle Busch, Casey Mears, Mark Martin and Jeff Gordon), Gustafson collected seven top-five finishes, nine top-10s, 229 laps led and six pole awards there.
PIT CREW PROWESS: Among the teams competing in the NASCAR Cup Series, the No. 9 pit crew ranks third for the best average time for four-tire stops at 13.96 seconds through 12 races in 2020.
BEHIND THE 9: 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 can 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 interior mechanic Scott Honan.
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