NASCAR CUP SERIES
BOWMAN GRAY STADIUM
TEAM CHEVY POST-HEAT RACE REPORT
FEBRUARY 1, 2025
Chase Elliott Takes Heat Race Win, Pole Position for Clash Main Event
- Chase Elliott and the No. 9 NAPA Auto Parts Chevrolet team swept the top of the leaderboard in the opening day of the NASCAR Cup Series return to Bowman Gray Stadium.
- The 29-year-old Dawsonville, Georgia, native clocked in the fastest lap of 14.115 seconds in qualifying to secure a front-row starting position Heat Race One. Elliott went on to lead every lap of the 25-lap race to ultimately secure the pole position for tomorrow’s 200-lap main event.
- Joining Elliott in the top-10 starting lineup for the main event includes NASCAR Cup Series rookie Shane van Gisbergen, who drove his No. 88 Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet to a top-10 qualifying effort and a third-place result in Heat Race Two.
- FOX will telecast from Bowman Gray Stadium on Sunday, February 2, starting with the Last Chance Race at 6 p.m. ET, followed by the Cook Out Clash at Bowman Gray main event at 8 p.m. ET. Live coverage can also be found on MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Channel 90.
Chase Elliott, No. 9 NAPA Auto Parts Chevrolet: Post-Heat Race Quotes
You’re one of the handful of drivers that have raced here in the K&N Series. Do you remember anything from those races, and does any of it translate to this weekend?
“No, it’s been so long ago, I don’t even hardly remember making laps. There’s been a lot of laps made since 2012 or whatever it was, which is a good thing. That means we’ve been racing a lot. But no, I kind of had to re-teach myself, I guess, or just kind of get familiar again today. That’s kind of how I’ve approached the day and what I was expecting. Fortunately, it was pretty similar to what I was kind of thinking it was going to be based on the L.A. Coliseum and the differences visually what it looks like from that.”
There’s going to be more cars on-track during the feature tomorrow night. Did we see just how important track position is going to be right off the bat in that heat race?
“Absolutely. I mean it’s going to be tough to win from the third or fourth row. I think the first couple of rows certainly have a massive advantage on the rest of the field. Obviously anything can happen. You all have been watching long enough to know that anything can happen and I’m well aware of that. But I think just in a normal circumstance of people not totally crashing each other or whatever – yeah, I certainly would want to be on the first couple of rows and, fortunately, we are. We’ll try to take advantage of that.”
When you get out on the track, the sun goes down and how much the crowd is into it, what’s it like to just get in the car and experience that atmosphere?
“Yeah, it was awesome. Everybody was fired up, which is great. That’s what they want. It looked like our heat race got kind of rough at points sometimes and the crowd reaction reflected that. I couldn’t see it, but I had a pretty good idea that something had happened that was fairly aggressive. But that’s why we’re here. This is what it was meant to be, and I think the crowd and the people that support this race track and the modified events here over the years, this is what they want. I think they’re in for a good show, so I’m looking forward to being a part of it. I’m proud of the effort from this No. 9 NAPA Chevy team today and ready to go to work tomorrow.”
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