LAS VEGAS – Sunday at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, all four Hendrick Motorsports drivers finished inside the top 20, with Chase Elliott leading the way with a top-10.
After the ninth-place result, the driver of the No. 9 Hooters Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 said he was proud of his team’s effort after starting the season with finishes of 17th and 19th.
“Definitely a lot better than last week,” Elliott said. “There were times throughout the day where we were better than that. That run there at the end was one of our worst of the day, I thought, which is never a good way to end it. So, just needed to finish a little stronger and I think we could have been maybe a few spots better.”
The driver’s three teammates spent much of the race inside or near the top 10 as well, and while Elliott was the only one to take home a top-10 finish, he was encouraged by the organization’s showing.
Each driver earned a better finish at Las Vegas than he had the week before at Atlanta Motor Speedway, and William Byron paced the field for 21 laps.
“As a whole we ran inside the top 10 the majority of the day and ultimately finished inside the top 10, which is nice,” Elliott said. “A lot better than last week and a step in the right direction. We just have to keep that going.”
With the first race of the West Coast swing in the books and the drivers getting experience with the new rules package, Elliott and his crew took notes on what to work on this weekend at ISM Raceway.
“Really important to have track position and hard to pass at times,” Elliott said of the race at Las Vegas. “You had to be really good and really think about your passes to get them done. The really fast guys could do it, so it’s not impossible, but definitely have to think through that a little bit.”
With three races of the season down, there’s more to come for the four drivers. Their next opportunity to continue to push toward Victory Lane comes this Sunday at 3:30 p.m. ET on FOX.
“This is a war not a battle, so we have to think about getting better for 38 weeks and we’ve got 35 left,” Elliott said. “So, better keep pushing and hopefully take another chunk like we did this week next week.”