CONCORD, N.C. -- Chase Elliott once again confirmed he’s the NASCAR Cup Series' road course ace after he dominated the second half of the race at Road America on Sunday afternoon. The 25-year-old driver now owns six of the last eight road course wins and more than half of his Cup victories are on road courses.
Elliott said he was prepared for every possible outcome as the race started to wind down. He led 24 of 62 laps en route to his second win of the year but added that leading the most laps doesn’t guarantee a win.
“It’s a long course, right? So, a lot of turns, a lot of opportunities to hurt tires, and that was a big piece of that last run,” Elliott explained. “I think you have to a assume a caution is coming out and know the scenarios. I was just trying to save, trying to find a rhythm, trying to manage the gap. I felt like I got to a good place there and was able to do a little bit of everything. Obviously, you never know what could happen when a caution comes out.”
Elliott rallied after a couple of cautions during his practice rounded ended up relegating him to a 34th-place starting position. The reigning Cup Series champion said adjustments after their practice run at the course helped him feel more comfortable in the car and allowed him to get into a groove during the race.
“I would say sometime around halfway or so – by the time that second stage ended – I was in a good place,” Elliott said. “From there, it was about trying to conserve the tires a little bit, and I thought it was a bit of a bounce to do that. I found a good rhythm there, and that helped.”
Elliott’s other win this season also came from an inaugural road course race. He took the checkered flag at Circuit of The Americas in May after the event was shorted from rain. Along with that victory, Elliott credited his support at Hendrick Motorsports for giving him the tools to earn the organization its 10th win this year, which essentially cemented him in the playoffs.
“Just a big thanks to everybody who loves on these cars and puts effort in to make them go fast,” he said. “There’s a lot of men and women who put a lot of work in. The engine shop, body shop, chassis shop, the fab shop, and the road crews – just everyone who plays a role has had a major impact on this and our success this year.”