TOOK IT TO THE STREETS: After torrential rain showers delayed the start of Sunday's race in Chicago, the NASCAR Cup Series finally took the green flag for its first-ever street course event. After moving to a backup car following Saturday's qualifying session, Chase Elliott started from the rear of the field, finished the first stage 20th and rebounded for a 25th-place result in the second stage after making contact with the tire barrier. Strategy in the final stage helped Elliott gain pivotal track position. He held his own through several late-race cautions to take the checkered flag in third at the Chicago Street Course.
WINNER WINNER NO. 9: Last season, Elliott and the No. 9 team were impressive on drafting-style tracks. The team scored two wins – Atlanta Motor Speedway in July and Talladega Superspeedway in October – and only finished outside of the top 10 on one occasion across six starts. Last summer, Elliott led 96 laps en route to victory at his home track of Atlanta, sweeping both stages along the way. Talladega last fall represents the most recent win for the No. 9 team, which led the series with five victories in 2022. The five-time National Press Association Most Popular Driver is the only repeat winner over the last 14 Cup races held on drafting-style tracks.
STREAKING: Elliott is currently riding a streak of three consecutive top-five finishes dating back to June 11 at Sonoma Raceway. Although the Dawsonville, Georgia, native, has missed seven starts this season, he's finished in every position inside the top five except first. Across the last three races, he finished fifth at Sonoma, fourth at Nashville Superspeedway and third on the Chicago Street Course. Elliott placed second at Auto Club Speedway prior to suffering a leg injury. In just 11 starts in 2023, he has five top-five finishes, tied for the sixth-most in the series.
TO THE POINT: With eight races remaining in the regular season, Elliott sits 24th in the Cup Series standings, 55 points behind the provisional cutline for a playoff spot. The 2020 champion gained 29 points on the bubble over the last two weeks and needs to average seven points per event against the cutline to advance to the playoffs on points.
WIN AND IN: While making the playoffs on points remains mathematically possible, the surefire way for Elliott to lock himself in is with a victory. Last season, he and the No. 9 team went on quite a tear during the summer months. They put together five consecutive finishes of second or better, including three wins: Nashville, Atlanta and Pocono Raceway. The 27-year-old driver has earned four of his 18 career Cup wins across three of the eight tracks left in the regular season: Pocono, Atlanta and Watkins Glen International. At four other tracks, Elliott has nearly taken home the hardware, finishing runner-up at New Hampshire Motor Speedway, Richmond Raceway, Michigan International Speedway (three times) and Daytona International Speedway (twice).
QUICK STOP: On Sunday at Chicago, the No. 9 pit crew had the fastest four-tire pit stop of the race with a time of 11.877 seconds. The 2021 Mechanix Wear Most Valuable Pit Crew is composed of T.J. Semke (jackman), Jared Erspamer (tire carrier), Nick O'Dell (front-tire changer), Chad Avrit (rear-tire changer) and John Gianninoto (fueler).
HOME GAME: Four partners of Elliott and the No. 9 team are headquartered in Atlanta: NAPA Auto Parts, Hooters, Kelley Blue Book and Coca-Cola. This weekend, NAPA returns as the primary partner on the No. 9 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1. The company was also the main partner for the team's victory at Atlanta last July.
DESI9N TO DRIVE: The Chase Elliott Foundation has partnered again with NAPA Auto Parts and Hendrick Motorsports for the seventh edition of its "DESI9N TO DRIVE" art collaboration with Children's Healthcare of Atlanta. This weekend at Atlanta Motor Speedway, Elliott's race car and race uniform will feature designs by two cancer patients at Children's. The selected designs were sketched by 11-year-old Alex Corbin and 13-year-old Kayleb Duran-Rodriguez and feature a "summer nights" theme. Elliott's racing uniform and a VIP race experience are currently up for auction via The NASCAR Foundation's auction page on eBay through July 12. Fans can also donate directly to the fundraising campaign at desi9ntodrive.org. All auction proceeds will go to the Chase Elliott Foundation to benefit the Aflac Cancer and Blood Disorders Center of Children's. View all angles of the No. 9 NAPA/Children's Healthcare of Atlanta Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 here.
Chase Elliott, driver of the No. 9 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1, on returning to Atlanta as the defending July race winner: “That was a really nice weekend. Obviously, it's a little different than having a dominant performance at a track that’s not a (super) speedway, but we were really solid. It’s not like you're getting out to a four- or five-second lead. We just had a car that had the ability to be on offense all day. When you're on offense and you can be that guy to make lanes move forward and make a difference and pushing somebody to the front, it just puts you in a different league. It puts you in a really nice position to have a good day. We've certainly been on both sides of that fence. I missed Atlanta the first time this year, but hopefully we can go back and have a good run again like we did last year. I know a lot of the people around home are super excited about it being a night race, and getting under the lights down there I think is a really big deal. So I'm looking forward to that.”
Elliott on this year’s DESI9N TO DRIVE program taking place at Atlanta: “I’m excited for the return of the DESI9N TO DRIVE program to my home track since it really shines a light on the positive impact Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta has on the region. With the race being run at night, I hope it creates an even greater atmosphere than years past. I can’t wait for everyone to see these summer nights-themed designs come to life at the racetrack.”
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