TEAM CHEVY PHOTO
· Chase Elliott and the No. 9 NAPA Auto Parts Chevrolet team
capped off a near dominate weekend by picking up the checkered flag in
the Cook Out Clash at Bowman Gray. The victory marked Elliott’s first
career victory in the series’ annual preseason race as the 29-year-old
Dawsonville, Georgia, native kicks off his 10th full-time season in
NASCAR’s top division.
· The 2020 NASCAR Cup Series champion delivered Chevrolet its
23rd all-time Clash victory, further extending the Bowtie brand’s
series-leading record in the event.
· The victory marks Hendrick Motorsports’ eighth all-time Clash
victory, with the Chevrolet organization now tying Richard Childress
Racing for the second-most in the event’s history.
· Already topping the leaderboard in both qualifying and his
respective heat race to earn the pole position for the main event,
Elliott went on to pace the 23-driver field for nearly all of the
first-half of the race– ultimately tallying 171 laps led in the
200-main event en-route to the triumph.
TEAM CHEVY POST-RACE QUOTES:
Chase Elliott, No. 9 NAPA Auto Parts Chevrolet
Finished: 1st
That race for you, you start on pole – how did you navigate it so well
with all the lap traffic?
“First off, just thanks, everybody, for coming out. Y’all made for a
really fun environment for us. We don’t race in stadiums like this, so
it’s just really cool. Appreciate y’all making that moment special for
me and my team. This is awesome.
I know it’s not a points race, but it is nice to win, for sure. Just
really proud of our team for just continuing to keep our heads down and
push forward, for sure.
It was a tough race. Ryan (Blaney) kept me honest there at the end.
Denny (Hamlin) was really good at the second half of that break. I just
felt like he was kind of riding, and I was afraid to lose control of the
race and not be able to get it back.
Yeah, fortunately it worked out. Great way to start the season. Huge
thanks to everybody at Hendrick Motorsports; a lot of hard work over the
off-season. NAPA Auto Parts, Chevrolet, some great partners. Excited to
get to Daytona. It’s a great way to start the season.”