ELLIOTT’S RUNNER-UP FINISH
Chase Elliott finished Sunday’s Bank of America 500 event in second place, capturing his fourth runner-up result of the season.
After finishing both Stage 1 and Stage 2 in second, Elliott maintained a position within the top five throughout the majority of the final stage. With a late-race caution he restarted third, but another caution sent the race to overtime. In the final laps he was able to gain one position, earning his second consecutive runner-up finish.
“It was a hard-fought day and really from where we were in those middle stages,” Elliott said. “I was proud of the way we fought back and were able to get back to the front."
Although Elliott admitted his second-place results aren’t ideal, he also thinks that consistently running well will eventually give him a breakthrough.
“We’re definitely tired of running second,” Elliott said. “But, if we keep running like we are, hopefully the opportunities will be there.”
THREE TOP-10 FINISHES
Teammates Jimmie Johnson and Kasey Kahne also finished inside the top 10, giving the organization three top-10 results in Sunday’s race.
Johnson rolled off the grid in 25th, but drove through the field to finish the first two stages inside the top 10. He maintained position for most of the final stage until issues during a pit stop dropped him to 15th. Johnson and the No. 48 Lowe’s Chevy team gained positions on pit road during the late race cautions and ended up seventh when the checkered flag waved.
“We worked our way up to fourth and then had a little miscue on pit road,” Johnson said. “Decent progress, the car wasn’t easy to drive, but my conditions were a lot better than the other guys and I could work my way back up through there.”
Kahne took the green flag in ninth, but missed finishing within the top-10 in the first two stages of the race. The No. 5 go90 Chevy team rallied for a quick pit stop during a caution in the final stage, allowing Kahne to restart seventh. Kahne fell back during a caution near the end of the race, but was able to race his way back up to ninth place, earning his fifth top-10 of the season.
“A little rough riding, but I was happy with a lot of things today,” Kahne said. “It was a good fight. Ended up top 10. We will keep working on it.”
A HUMID RACE DAY
Although the fall months are upon us, the temperature and humidity in Charlotte for Sunday's race felt more like summer.
Dale Earnhardt Jr. finished his final race at Charlotte in 12th after starting 23rd. He said it was the hardest he and the No. 88 Nationwide team have worked at a race due to the humidity.
“We worked so hard all day, I know all the drivers are worn out. It’s just real humid,” Earnhardt said. “Probably the hardest I’ve worked inside a car in a long time and I bet that goes for the rest of the field too.”