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| Chase Elliott has three road course wins. |
“I am super excited just to go somewhere new. Obviously, I’ve enjoyed Watkins Glen these past couple of years. We have a new challenge ahead with the DAYTONA Road Course. I think the biggest thing is not having any practice. I think it is going to be exciting but it’s also going to be really hard for the guys that have never made a lap there before. I think it’s going to give a pretty big advantage to those who’ve run the 24-hour race and have made any laps on that track. I’ve never made a lap. I don’t even know what turns are where. I’m going to get on iRacing and try and make some laps just to familiarize myself with the track. I’ve watched the 24-hour race, but I’ve never really paid a ton of attention to it. It’s going to be really difficult for people like me who have never seen it.”
ROAD RACE CHASE: Chase Elliott continues to prove his road-course prowess after winning two of the three NASCAR Cup Series road races last season and three of the last five. In September 2019, the No. 9 Chevrolet driver rallied back from mid-race trouble at the Charlotte Motor Speedway roval to earn his sixth career Cup victory and third on a road course. Elliott also dominated Watkins Glen International in August 2019 where he won for the second straight year. He remains the youngest road-course winner (22 years, 8 months, 8 days) of all time in the series.
MAKE IT THREE: This weekend, Elliott could become the most recent driver with three consecutive road-course race wins. The last person to collect three in a row was NASCAR Hall of Famer Tony Stewart (2004-2005). Four-time NASCAR Cup Series champion Jeff Gordon holds the record for most consecutive road-course wins with six (1997-2000).
NAPA KNOW HOW: On Sunday at Daytona, the No. 9 Chevrolet will feature 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.
ROAD-COURSE STATS: Elliott, driver of the No. 9 NAPA AUTO PARTS Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 1LE, is set to make his 11th Cup Series start on a road course this weekend. In his previous 10 races, he has collected the second-most wins (three) of active drivers, behind only Kyle Busch and Martin Truex Jr., who both have four. Elliott has garnered four top-five finishes, six top-10s and a total of 179 laps led. The Dawsonville, Georgia, native holds the best average finish (10.5) on road courses of active drivers.
STAGE POINT COLLECTOR: In 2020, Elliott has the second-most stage wins (five), has garnered the fourth-most stage points (185) and is currently fifth in the driver standings, 170 points behind leader Kevin Harvick.
PIT ROAD PROWESS: The No. 9 NAPA AUTO PARTS team owns the second-best average time for four-tire pit stops at 13.92 seconds through 22 races in the 2020 NASCAR Cup Series season. The team is comprised of jackman T.J. Semke, gasman John Gianninoto, tire carrier Jared Erspamer and tire changers Chad Avrit and Nick O’Dell.
FLORIDA NATIVE: This weekend, crew chief Alan Gustafson will return home for the inaugural NASCAR Cup Series race on the road course at Daytona. He hails from Ormond Beach, Florida, just down the road from Daytona International Speedway. After graduating from Seabreeze High School, he enrolled at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University to study mechanical engineering. Gustafson will set foot in Daytona in the midst of his 16th full-time season as a crew chief and his fifth year with Elliott.
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