NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Chase Elliott's fourth-place finish in the Ally 400 highlighted a trio of top-six results for Hendrick Motorsports at Nashville Superspeedway. In addition to Elliott's run, Kyle Larson placed fifth and William Byron came home in sixth.
With a fourth-place finish, Elliott earned his first set of back-to-back top-five finishes on the season and his fourth top-five in 2023. The 27-year-old driver won at Nashville in 2022 and spent nearly the entire race in the top 10. Following two top-10 stage results (and earning nine stage points), the Dawsonville, Georgia, native got into the top five with 74 laps to go. He was able to move to fourth after a round of green-flag pit stops and that would be where he finished the 300-lap event.
"It was solid, but we still needed a little bit," Elliott said. "I actually thought we were the best at the start of the race and then we kind of got off there in the middle stage. We basically just kind of got back to where we were and everyone else got a little better. Proud of the effort and to get two top fives in a row is a good thing for us."
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Elliott gained 20 points on the playoff bubble and is 64 points outside the postseason picture. He can make the postseason on points if he gains approximately 7.1 points per race (provided there are no winners outside the top 16). The driver of the No. 9 NAPA Auto Parts Chevrolet has victories at three of the nine tracks left in the regular season (Atlanta Motor Speedway, Pocono Raceway and Watkins Glen International).
Larson's fifth-place result is his third straight top-10 finish on the season, which is his best streak of the season. He is now tied with Byron, one of his Hendrick Motorsports' teammates for the most top-five finishes (seven) in 2023. The driver of the No. 5 HendrickCars.com Chevy is also one of two drivers to finish inside the top five in every race held at Nashville’s 1.33-mile track. The 30-year-old driver picked up three stage points in the opening 90-lap segment and just missed getting another stage point in stage two.
After falling back to 15th on the restart for the final stage, Larson worked his way back to 11th. Crew chief Cliff Daniels’ had Larson pit on lap 236 and the driver was one of the first to do so. That strategy call allowed Larson to cycle out in seven when all green-flag stops occurred. Passes on Christopher Bell and Byron in the closing 30 laps put him into the top five.
"Happy with the effort, happy with another week of keeping our heads in it and getting a good finish out of the day," Larson said.
"Proud of the team. ... We are executing way better than we did so far through the season. I am very happy with that; just wish we could have some of those early races back at this point."
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Byron’s sixth-place finish gives him a series-best 10 top-10 results and seven top-10s in his last eight races. The 25-year-old driver scored 15 stage points thanks to two top-four finishes in the opening two segments. The No. 24 Liberty University pit crew also gave their driver the lead to start the second stage. Over the first run of the final stage, the Charlotte, North Carolina, native struggled with a lack of grip before coming to pit road on lap 238. He cycled out in fifth and held that position before a late pass by Larson. Leaving Nashville, Byron is tied for second in the point standings (but holds the tiebreaker) and is 18 points behind series leader Martin Truex Jr.
"The team worked really hard, and it was just that last run where we needed a little bit more. It’s good to come home sixth and kind of be somewhat disappointed with that."
Driving the No. 48 Ally Chevrolet, Alex Bowman finished 17th in the Ally 400. The 30-year-old driver picked up a little damage from a mid-race incident and that resulted in him losing track position for the remainder of stage two. In the final stage, he was battling a car that tight in the center and free on entry and exit. Crew chief Blake Harris made a strategy call to run his driver long and as a result, Bowman led eight laps (from lap 259 to 266). After pitting with 34 laps left, Bowman cycled out in 25th but was able to unlap himself with fresh tires. That advantage on tires allowed him to pick off several more spots in the closing laps. Bowman is two points outside the playoffs with nine races before the postseason field is set.
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Ross Chastain earned the win at Nashville to become the 11th different winner for the season.
The team’s three top-six finishes marks the second time this season that the organization put three of its cars inside the top six – the top-three sweep in March at Las Vegas Motor Speedway was the last occurrence. This race was also the fifth time (Las Vegas, Phoenix Raceway, Richmond Raceway and Kansas Speedway) in 2023 that Hendrick Motorsports had at least three top 10s in one event and the first time since the May race at Kansas Speedway.
Next up for the Cup Series will be the inaugural street race in downtown Chicago. That event will mark the 18th points-paying race of the season. It will take place on Sunday, July 2, at 5:30 p.m. ET on NBC, Peacock, NBC Sports App, MRN Radio and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio (Channel 90).