NASCAR Nationwide Series rookie contender, Chase Elliott, continues to impress at Charlotte Motor Speedway for this weekend’s History 300. Elliott, who drives the No. 9 NAPA Auto Parts Chevrolet for JR Motorsports, turned in a lap of 178.330 mph to lead final practice for the Nationwide Series on Thursday.
The second generation Georgia driver is in the midst of one of the most impressive rookie seasons in quite some time. In just ten starts, Elliott has accumulated two wins, five top-five’s and eight top-10’s, stats that even a seasoned series veteran would envy. To cap off his impressive season stats, he is also the current series points leader. Not a bad start for a driver who is seeing most of these tracks for the first time in a Nationwide Series car.
Elliott’s first win came at Texas Motor Speedway. He followed that up the very next week at one of NASCAR’s toughest and most difficult tracks – Darlington Raceway, where he waged a fantastic battle with Kyle Larson, who is currently competing for rookie of the year honors in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series. The two battled hard and tight, with Larson bouncing off the wall several times as he tried to hold off a hard charging Elliott.
In a late race yellow, Elliott lost several spots in the pits relegating him to sixth place for the restart, giving him a seemingly insurmountable task with only a green – white – checkered finish left to settle the race to victory lane. Elliott did not waiver. He charged to the front passing Elliott Sadler to score his second victory of the season.
The Elliott family has plenty to be proud of this week. In addition to the fantastic season Chase has had, it was announced earlier this week that his Father, Bill Elliott, will be inducted into the NASCAR Hall of Fame. A fitting honor to a great competitor and ambassador for the sport.
It appears that Chase is following in his father’s footsteps both on track and off. He has a great personality and positive attitude. Those traits coupled with his obvious talent, is a recipe for long term success in NASCAR.
Congratulations Chase Elliott your Father and I have been friends for over 24′ years I and My Son Robert Lee (Robby) CAPE will always be in your corner so do what you have been doing trusting God’s word and love all54David!Thanks again for your best.