Methodical ROVAL Effort Helps Elliott Advance In Playoffs

Chase Elliott in action at the Charlotte Motor Speedway ROVAL. (Scotte Sprinkle/Race Face Digital photo)

CONCORD, N.C. – In pivotal situations, past experience is always helpful, and 2020 NASCAR Cup Series champion Chase Elliott used his road racing savvy Sunday at the Charlotte Motor Speedway ROVAL to advance to the Round of 8.

Elliott entered Sunday seeded eighth in the playoff standings, 14 points above the cut line, and occupied the final transfer spot for a portion of the afternoon. The 28-year-old stayed the course and kept his No. 9 UniFirst Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 out of trouble, bringing home a strong fifth-place finish.

“Really proud of our group, for us to position ourselves where we did and get back to fifth at the end was great,” said Elliott. “It’s not a win but I’m pretty proud of the effort and results after the day we had.”

The No. 9 team pulled off his effort with methodical pit strategy. Pit calls by crew chief Alan Gustafson on where to stay out until stage break cautions yielded bonus points, as Elliott collected 15 stage points with third- and fourth-place results in the first two segments.

“We had to take the points, but when you put yourself in a bad spot it’s an uphill battle,” Elliott added, referencing his 29th-place result at Talladega the week prior. “This whole round has been an uphill battle, but it’s been fun.”

On Saturday, Elliott hit the track with speed. He ran seventh and 10th in the two practice sessions. In qualifying he earned the seventh grid spot, with the pressure of potential postseason elimination looming, and carried that pace all the way through to the checkered flag Sunday.

His success at the ROVAL this weekend spoke to the consistency Elliott has had throughout the year.

Although his one and only win of the season came at Texas Motor Speedway in April, he has remained steady. At the last road race, he struggled and finished 19th at Watkins Glen, but he bounced back with back-to-back top 10s in September at Bristol (Tenn.) Motor Speedway and Kansas Speedway.

Moments like that last month, as well as his race at Charlotte, are what have kept Elliott’s season alive. It’s a case study in staying even keeled and finding a way forward when adversity strikes.

That has been Elliott’s season: a quiet unsung hero-like year that has been overshadowed by the success of his fellow Hendrick Motorsports teammates. With his Charlotte ROVAL top five, Elliott eclipsed his down year from 2023 with now eight top fives, 15 top 10s and 214 laps led.

“Just glad to be moving on,” said Elliott. “You get to the Round of 8, it's anyone’s ball game. I’m looking forward to getting going.”

Now the multi-time Most Popular Driver sets his eyes toward the Round of 8 opener at Las Vegas (Nev.) Motor Speedway.

In his career, the Dawsonville, Ga., has posted an average finish of 14th in Sin City, and he’ll look to pull the correct cards in Vegas to further extend his run toward Phoenix (Ariz.) Raceway and the championship finale in November.

“Really proud of everybody at Hendrick Motorsports, to have [three] of the last eight standing is extremely amazing and I hope everyone is really proud,” said Elliott. “That’s a hard thing to do.”

Coverage of the South Point Casino 400 begins Sunday, Oct. 20 at 2:30 p.m. ET on NBC, the Performance Racing Network, and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio, channel 90.