CONCORD, N.C. – Chase Elliott led his first laps since returning from injury on Sunday at Talladega Superspeedway.
The No. 9 NAPA Auto Parts team had a solid day at the Alabama venue, leading 18 laps and picking up a stage win en route to a 12th-place finish.
The group is navigating uncharted waters. With Elliott sidelined for six races due to a fractured tibia, the team is basically in a must-win situation to qualify for the postseason. Since joining the NASCAR Cup Series ranks full time in 2016, Elliott has accomplished the feat every season. The 2020 champion has a streak of seven consecutive playoff berths and he has made the last three Championship 4's.
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"We are in a position where we are going to have to win," Elliott said ahead of his return at Martinsville Speedway. "That’s at least how I am looking at it and how I have been thinking about it since this happened. I figured you miss a few weeks and you are pretty much going to have to win."
The 27-year-old driver earned a 10th-place finish in his return at Martinsville. Elliott entered Talladega as the most recent winner at the track in October 2022 and also won at this track in April 2019. Despite qualifying 29th, he showed speed from the get-go.
A stop for fuel only with his fellow Chevrolet drivers on lap 39 positioned Elliott to be at the front of the field when the caution came out on lap 44. From there, he battled his teammate Alex Bowman for the remainder of stage one, earning his first stage victory of the year. Stage two proved to be similar with the No. 9 NAPA Auto Parts Chevy at the front towards the end. Aric Almirola would edge Elliott for the stage two win, but the Dawsonville, Georgia, native was scored in second.
While the day ended with typical drafting-track chaos late in the race, Elliott was able to avoid the melees for his second straight top-12 finish since returning. The 18 laps out front were his most in a race this season. His 44 points on the day were the most among all drivers and that stage win adds a valuable playoff point to his tally should he qualify for the postseason.
Elliott's race on Sunday also marked the 650th Cup Series start for crew chief Alan Gustafson. Together, Gustafson and Elliott have 18 wins - the second-most among active driver-crew chief pairings in the series. The veteran crew chief has worked with Kyle Busch, Jeff Gordon, Mark Martin and Casey Mears, but his tenure with Elliott is the longest of his career as the 2023 season marks their eighth year together.
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The next two tracks (Dover Motor Speedway and Kansas Speedway) are places Elliott has won. In fact, Dover is one of four venues he has multiple wins at (two) and he is the defending race winner at the "Monster Mile." The 1-mile track has long been one of his best venues on the circuit with nine top-five finishes and a 9.8 average finish in 12 starts.
Tune in to see Elliott and the No. 9 team get after it for 400 laps in Delaware on Sunday, April 30, at 1 p.m. ET on FS1, PRN Radio and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.