CONCORD, N.C. – With only one race remaining before the NASCAR Cup Series playoffs begin, Chase Elliott and the No. 9 team are consistently performing at a high level week to week.
A fifth-place effort under the lights at Darlington Raceway Sunday night saw Elliott finish inside the top 10 for the sixth consecutive race, tying his longest career top-10 streak. The result was also his best career finish at the track “Too Tough to Tame,” marking the seventh track where the driver has earned his best career finish this season.
“I thought we got it better as the night went along and got to a pretty decent place,” Elliott said after the race.
Starting 11th, Elliott remained around the top 10 for most of Stage 1. He was running ninth when a caution flag waved on Lap 129, but with help from the No. 9 team, Elliott gained four positions on pit road to move into fifth for the ensuing restart.
Finishing the second stage in fourth, Elliott climbed his way up to second in the final segment, running in the runner-up position for a large portion of the closing stage.
On Lap 312, he was still in second and on pit road for a scheduled pit stop when a caution flag waved. To get back on the lead lap, Elliott had to take a wave-around, taking the restart in fifth.
Even with setback, the driver continued to battle in the closing laps, taking the checkered flag in fifth to earn his eighth top-five finish of the season.
“Circumstances were pretty good for a course of that run when I ran second and was trying to pace Kyle (Larson),” Elliott said. “Just felt like I was probably having to work a little too hard to pace him and it was really hard on my rear tires.”
Currently, Elliott is seventh in the Cup Series playoff standings with eight playoff points. As the regular season concludes this weekend with the Brickyard 400, Elliott and the No. 9 team are determined to keep moving forward in the right direction.
“Have a little work to do, but mistake-free night, which is nice,” Elliott said. “We’ve just got to find the next little step to keep up with that crowd.”