Nine races into the 2020 NASCAR Cup Series season, Chase Elliott, driver of the No. 9 NAPA AUTO PARTS Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 1LE, is third in the driver standings. He also ranks third in laps led (368) and has one win, four top-five finishes, five top-10s and one pole award (Phoenix in March). The Dawsonville, Georgia, native leads the field with the highest average running position for the season (7.74), and his five stage wins in 2020 are the most for any driver.
SINCE THE RETURN: Since NASCAR returned to action, Elliott has racked up some impressive stats. His 6.75 average running position leads all drivers in the five races since May 17. He has collected one win, three top-five finishes and led a total of 182 laps – leading laps in all but one of the five races.
SOUND THE SI-REEN: On Sunday, Elliott could become just the second Georgia-born driver to win a race at Atlanta Motor Speedway (AMS), joining his father, NASCAR Hall of Famer Bill Elliott, who won five times at the track.
GEORGIA ON MY MIND: In addition to Elliott hailing from Dawsonville, which is just 84 miles north of AMS, No. 9 team partners NAPA AUTO PARTS, Hooters and Kelley Blue Book have major presences in Atlanta. NAPA is Elliott’s primary sponsor this weekend, and Hooters will make its season debut next Sunday at Homestead-Miami Speedway. Both are based in Atlanta. Cox Automotive, the parent company of team partner Kelley Blue Book, is also headquartered there. KBB was the No. 9’s primary sponsor for its May 28 victory at Charlotte Motor Speedway.
ELLIOTT IN THE PEACH STATE: Elliott has made starts at Atlanta in each of NASCAR’s top-three levels – four in the Cup Series, two in the Xfinity Series and one in the Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series. Last season was the only time the 24-year-old driver finished outside the top 10 in the Cup Series (19th). Elliott currently holds a 10.5-average finish at Atlanta, the best among active drivers at the 1.5-mile track. He also has finished in the top five in all of his Xfinity Series and truck starts at Atlanta.
1.5-MILE TRACK STATS: Elliott will make his 49th start on a 1.5-mile track this weekend at Atlanta Motor Speedway. In his previous 48 races, he has led 564 laps and most recently scored his second 1.5-mile track win at Charlotte Motor Speedway on May 28. Along with two victories, Elliott has collected 17 top-five finishes – four of which are runner-up results – and 26 top-10s on 1.5-milers.
DOUBLE TROUBLE: In addition to his full-time duty driving the No. 9 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 1LE in the Cup Series, Elliott will compete in the NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series race in the No. 24 Hooters Chevrolet for GMS Racing on Saturday at Atlanta Motor Speedway. He most recently piloted the No. 24 Silverado on May 26 at Charlotte Motor Speedway, where he ended the night in victory lane. The performance made Elliott the 10th driver in history to win at least three races in each of NASCAR’s three national touring series.
DESI9N TO DRIVE: As part of the Chase Elliott Foundation’s fourth annual “DESI9N TO DRIVE” art collaboration with Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta, patient-designed racing shoes will be worn by Elliott and Hendrick Motorsports teammates William Byron, Jimmie Johnson and Alex Bowman during the NASCAR Cup Series race this weekend. Elliott’s shoes were designed by 8-year-old Brooke Winokur and features a colorful outer space design including Mars, stars and astronauts. The shoes will be signed and put on the auction block staring June 5 at the NASCAR Foundation online auction site with proceeds benefiting the hospital’s summer camp program. In addition, the Chase Elliott Foundation will match the proceeds from the “DESI9N TO DRIVE” program and make a separate donation to Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta’s COVID-19 fund that helps provide support, supplies and equipment for its most fragile patients and frontline workers.
Chase Elliott on the challenges of Atlanta Motor Speedway:
“The track hasn’t changed a ton these past few years. It has a lot of wear to it, a lot of character and a lot of bumps. There is a fine line of getting your car right. I’m excited about that. As a team we’ve had a lot of dialogue in trying to get our NAPA Chevy dialed in without having any practice, which is tough. I have a lot of confidence in my guys being able to get us close and giving us enough adjustability to where if we do miss it, one way or the other we can work on it throughout the race. I’m just looking forward to the race, obviously it’s my home track and any time you go to your home track you want to do good.”
HMS PR
