Chase Elliott and Alan Gustafson before the USA Today 301 at New Hampshire Motor Speedway on Sunday, June 23, 2024. (Photo: Josh Jones | The Podium Finish)
LOUDON, N.H. – Rain tends to be a damper on NASCAR racing, but for Chase Elliott, the two-hour long red flag at New Hampshire Motor Speedway turned out to be a blessing in disguise.
Wet weather plagued the USA Today 301 race weekend, limiting practice to only a handful of laps and canceling qualifying altogether. According to NASCAR rules, the starting lineup for Sunday’s race was set based on overall season performance. Elliott, being the only driver to finish in the top-20 in every race so far this season, was awarded the pole position.
“Certainly, we will take a good starting spot and more importantly, take a really good pit pick there on pit road,” Elliott said pre-race. “I feel that our team has been in a good spot really all year. To be honest, I’ve been super happy with where we’re at. Really happy with everything.”
Elliott entered the weekend eighth in the playoff standings, locked in with his win at Texas Motor Speedway, and first in the regular season points. However, his career lacked a win at New Hampshire Motor Speedway. On a track that proves to have challenging restarts and difficult passing conditions, the number one starting position and pit stall was gold for the No. 9 team.
At the drop of the green flag, Elliott shot to the front on the outside line, running a bit wide, but holding off Ryan Blaney for the lead. The No. 9 NAPA Chevrolet’s momentum carried it to a three-plus second lead over second-place runner Christopher Bell until about Lap 30, when the gap began to decrease. As Elliott encountered lapped traffic, it was clear that he was losing speed. By Lap 36, his lead was down to one second, and on Lap 42, Bell was able to make the pass for the lead on the inside while Elliott fought a loose condition through the middle of the corners.
“It’s loose,” Elliott radioed to his crew. “The ride is really bad.”
Chase Elliott and the No. 9 Hendrick Motorsports NAPA Chevrolet Camaro in the lead at New Hampshire Motor Speedway. (Photo: Josh Jones | The Podium Finish)
Elliott was using up every bit of the racetrack to keep his Camaro going. In a pre-race media conference, Chase had explained how difficult New Hampshire Motor Speedway is to race on and why it is essential to have the car set up for the best corner entry possible.
“I think that’s why it’s tough. The corners are flat. The straightaways are pretty fast. There’s bumps in Turn 3 that are a little unsettling so just finding that right balance and the comfort you’re looking for in your car is important.”
Despite having settled into second place, third-place runner Joey Logano was soon peeking underneath Elliott on Lap 61 and was able to make the pass by the end of Stage 1.
Once pit road opened, the No. 9 crew completed a four-tire pit stop, along with a left-rear adjustment in hopes that the loose condition would improve. The extra time involved with the adjustment put Elliott back in fifth for the Stage 2 restart.
Unfortunately, it seemed that the alteration did not help the No. 9, as Elliott struggled and quickly faded back to seventh after the restart. The race stayed green much longer than expected, giving crews the opportunity to perform green flag pit stops around Lap 125. Elliott, stating that the back end of his car still needed a little help, came down pit road for four new tires and another minor adjustment. He cycled back onto the track in 13th place behind the top four drivers who chose to stay out.
By Lap 137, Elliott had made his way back into the top-10, just in time for the second caution of the day. Alan Gustafson elected to bring Elliott down pit road once again on Lap 143 for right side tires only, joined by a few other drivers.
After restarting in the sixth position, Elliott was able to finish out Stage 2 in ninth; a welcome result following the handling struggles earlier on in the run.
The relief did not last long, however. At the start of Stage 3, Logano locked his left front tire up and skidded up into Elliott in Turn 1. It appeared that they may have been able to work themselves out of the contact, but the No. 22 ended up clipping the No. 9’s left rear quarter panel, resulting in heavy damage for both cars.
Elliott was able to hit pit road for minor repairs and got back on track in time for the race restart with 102 laps to go. He was running back in 21st when the anticipated rain storms moved in from the west, bringing out the red flag.
Joey Logano makes contact with Chase Elliott, sending him around in Turn 1 at the start of Stage 3. (Photo: Josh Jones | The Podium Finish)
Over two hours later, NASCAR announced that the track was dry enough for crews to install wet weather tires for the continuation of the race. It was unknown how the cars would handle with these wet weather tires, so the drivers were cautious as the race began again with 73 laps to go. Many drivers, including Elliott, dropped down to the apron of the racetrack in hopes of finding grip. This worked in Elliott’s favor as he shot up to 10th place by Lap 232.
As the remainder of the race continued, eight more cautions came out as drivers explored different racing lines and lost traction in the corners. With each restart, everyone started to get more aggressive, pushing the cars harder as they gained confidence in their stability. Elliott kept up with the pack, making passes when he could, but mostly hovering between the 11th through 15th positions. By the end of the race, in a green-white-checkered overtime finish, Elliott crossed the line in 18th.
Even though it was not the finish the team had hoped for, the opportunity to race on the wet weather tires may have been the turning point for the No. 9 Hendrick Motorsports crew. Were it not for the crazy position shuffle on the first restart after the rain delay, Elliott may not have had the chance to get back into the top-20. This was just one more stepping stone in the quest for redemption after last year’s disappointing season.
Next week, the No. 9 team travels to the Ally 400 at Nashville Superspeedway, where Elliott found Victory Lane in 2022. The race will air on NBC at 3:30 PM EST Sunday afternoon.
