RICHMOND RUNDOWN: On Sunday, Chase Elliott will make his 15th Richmond Raceway start in the NASCAR Cup Series. In his previous 14 races at the 0.75-mile oval, he has collected five top-five finishes – one being a runner-up result in April 2018 – and six top-10s. Additionally, he has made four Richmond starts in the NASCAR Xfinity Series, never finishing outside the top five and earning a win in 2015.
RECAPPING RVA: In Elliott’s most recent Richmond start last fall, he started 23rd at the Virginia short track and steadily climbed through the field throughout the 400-lap event. The 2020 Cup Series champion ended stage one in the 11th position and stage two in the eighth spot before taking the checkered flag fifth. During the spring Cup Series event this year, driver Josh Berry filled in for the injured Elliott. After being mired deep in the field for much of the race, the No. 9 team used pit strategy to get Berry track position. They ended the day with a runner-up finish.
SHORT-TRACK PERFORMANCE: On Sunday, Elliott will make his 43rd short-track start in the Cup Series. In his previous 42 races, he has garnered one win (Martinsville Speedway in 2020), 14 top-five finishes, 22 top-10s and 1,491 laps led. This season, Elliott has one points-paying start on a track measuring less than 1 mile in length, placing 10th at Martinsville Speedway in his first race back following a leg injury.
READY FOR A WIN: This season, Elliott has finished in every position inside the top five except for first. He placed second at Auto Club Speedway prior to sitting out several weeks for an injury. Since returning, Elliott has added to his top-five tally, finishing third at Darlington Raceway, fifth at Sonoma Raceway, fourth at Nashville Superspeedway and third at the Chicago Street Course. After starting just 14 of the 21 Cup Series races in 2023, the 27-year-old driver has five top-five finishes – tied for 10th-most at the sport’s top level. In fact, over the last six Cup events, the Dawsonville, Georgia, native has the best average finish in the field (7.83).
PLAYOFF PUSH: With his 10th-place finish Sunday at Pocono Raceway, Elliott moved up to 21st in the Cup Series standings, 56 points outside of the provisional cutline for a playoff spot. With five races left in the regular season, the Hendrick Motorsports driver needs to average 12 markers per race against the cutline to advance to the playoffs on points. While pointing his way in is mathematically possible, the surefire path for Elliott is a victory. At the five tracks remaining in the regular season, the driver has two wins at Watkins Glen International and a combined six runner-up finishes coming at Richmond (one), Michigan International Speedway (three) and Daytona International Speedway (two).
GREAT GUSTAFSON: On Sunday, No. 9 team crew chief Alan Gustafson is set to call his 35th Richmond race in the Cup Series. In his previous 34 starts at the track with five different drivers (Kyle Busch, Casey Mears, Mark Martin, Jeff Gordon and Elliott), Gustafson has accumulated 15 top-five finishes including five runner-up results, 19 top-10s and 625 laps led.
UNIFIRST IS BACK: UniFirst Corporation (NYSE: UNF), a North American leader in providing customized work uniform programs, corporate attire and facility service products, is back on board as the primary partner on No. 9 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 for its third of three races in 2023. Last year, UniFirst extended its partnership with Elliott, Hendrick Motorsports and the No. 9 team through 2028. Starting in 2024, the company will increase to five primary races per season with the team. Get a look at all the angles of the UniFirst Chevrolet here.
Chase Elliott, driver of the No. 9 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1, on racing at Richmond: "When I think of Richmond, the surface and the age of the asphalt comes to mind first – just how that has changed the races over the last few years. You've had a lot of strategy options because there's so much (tire) falloff because the asphalt's so old. You end up having guys two-stopping stages and being able to make up enough time with their fresh tires as opposed to only making one trip down pit road. So I just think about the surface being aged and how that's impacted strategies."
Alan Gustafson, crew chief of the No. 9 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1, on Richmond: "Richmond is actually one of my favorite tracks. I like the fact that it always has different lanes and, if your car drives good, you usually can make some progress. There are a lot of pit stops, and tires really matter there. All of those things make it a lot of fun, and the strategy can be super creative, which can help you a lot. It's a super finicky track. You either hit it or you don't. There doesn't seem to be any in between. This weekend it’s going to be hot and slick for sure, so that'll add another element. Usually when it's that way, it really spreads out and the lanes get really wide, so that makes it interesting, too. I’m looking forward to going up there."
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