CONCORD, N.C. - It was a roller coaster of a day for Chase Elliott and the No. 17 HendrickCars.com team that ended with a trip to victory lane in the NASCAR Xfinity Series.
The win is the second of the year for the No. 17 team and the first on an oval configuration since Hendrick Motorsports returned to the Xfinity Series in 2022. Ultimately, it was a strategy call from crew chief Greg Ives that brought Elliott to the front. Thanks in part to this strategy and cautions falling at the right time, the team was able to have an extra set of tires in the pits that allowed them to drive away from the pack in the closing laps after pitting towards the end of the final stage.
RECAPPING THE RACE
Rolling off from the 30th position, Elliott quickly made his way through the field. In the opening three laps, the No. 17 entry was up eight positions. Elliott would continue moving forward until the caution flag came out on lap 31. Under the yellow, the team opted to forego pitting and stay out on old tires. Due to the lack of grip, Elliott would drop from the runner up position to 26th by end the opening segment.
RELATED: Larson takes part in Legends Day at Indianapolis
Under the stage caution, Ives brought his driver into the pits for four tires and a balance adjustments. Under the yellow, those that pitted under the first stage break stayed on the track. This gave Elliott a tire advantage to his competitors and after restarting from the 13th row, he drove up to sixth before another caution came out on lap 74, setting up a nearly identical situation to stage one. Once again, Ives had his driver stay out to save tires for later in the race. With old tires on the restart, Elliott fell from second to 11th in the running order to end the stage.
While the call did not earn the team track position in the moment, those ahead of their driver also pitted after stage two, leaving the No. 17 entry with an extra set of tires relative to the field if a caution were to fall at the right time. After green flag pit stops came and went, Elliott was one of the few drivers with these fresh tires laying in the pits. The race's next caution with 31 circuits remaining proved to be the winning move as Elliott pitted and utilized the fresh rubber to take the lead and drive to his sixth career victory in the Xfinity Series.
RELATED: Hendrick Motorsports paying tribute to fallen soldiers at Charlotte
"They (the No. 17 team) did a really good job. Greg made a good call, I think ultimately that's what won us the race," Elliott said on the start/finish line after the victory. "I felt like I needed a little bit with my balance to make as much pace as the No. 7 and a couple of those guys."
"Hats off to everyone at Hendrick Motorspots. Super special to win with the 17 on the car for the boss and Linda (Hendrick). Obviously a great honor with the Ricky Hendrick scheme. It means a lot to all of us that get to be a part of it whenever it runs."
RELATED: See the paint scheme for Charlotte
Tomorrow, the NASCAR Cup Series takes to Charlotte for the sport's longest race. Catch the Coca-Cola 600 at 6 p.m. ET on FOX, PRN Radio and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio (Channel 90).