Chase Elliott secured a third place finish at Darlington Raceway. (Photo: Trish McCormack | The Podium Finish)
DARLINGTON, S.C.- Chase Elliott, driver of the No. 9 Chevrolet for Hendrick Motorsports, found speed late in the race during Stage 3. Elliott secured a third place finish after qualifying 21st on Saturday at the track that has earned the nickname “Too Tough to Tame.”
By the end of Stage 1, Elliott worked his way up to the 13th position. As for Stage 2, it was a similar result for the No. 9 team, with Elliott placing 12th.
After the No. 9 team continually made adjustments to Elliott’s car, he was able to work through the field and find the speed that the 2020 Cup Series champion is used to, marching his way inside the top 10 before taking the checkered flag in the third position.
(Photo: Trish McCormack | The Podium Finish)
Elliott was pleased with his finish. However, he sees room for improvement with his efforts specifically after recently returning from an injury sustained in a snowboarding accident in Colorado back in March.
In a post-race interview, Elliott said, ” I felt like our car was plenty good, really, throughout the whole day. I just do such a terrible job getting up through traffic. I just need to try to improve and keep going to work on the areas I’m struggling in and build on the improvements we’ve made”.
The driver of the No. 9, who is notoriously self critical, added, “I’ll certainly take third and appreciate all the effort this weekend. We’re making some small gains here and there, just got to get some more.”
In addition to a solid podium finish, this throwback weekend race was also notable for Elliott because he was showcasing a special replica paint scheme on his car that honored his father, NASCAR Hall of Fame driver Bill Elliott, and his 2001-2003 No. 9 Evernham Motorsports Dodge entry.
Chase Elliott stands behind father, Bill, as they were both named to the list of NASCAR’s 75 greatest drivers. (Photo: Trish McCormack | The Podium Finish)
Notably, before the green flag waved at Darlington, as NASCAR celebrates its 75th year, the 27-year-old driver was named one of stock car racing’s 75 greatest drivers alongside his father, Bill, four-time Cup champion Jeff Gordon, seven-time Cup champion Jimmie Johnson, 1986 Daytona 500 champion Geoff Bodine, and Hendrick Motorsports teammate Kyle Larson, among other notable racers.
