NSCS: Chase Elliott Posts Best Career Finish at Dover

On Sunday at Dover International Speedway, Chase Elliott got one step closer to victory lane.

The driver of the No. 24 Napa Auto Parts Chevrolet, ran in the mid-teens with radio issues for the first half of the race, but eventually worked his way up to 10th and escaped the multi-car wreck with 59 to go to move up to fifth. He’d battle for the top two spots eventual winner Matt Kenseth and second place Kyle Larson, crossing the line in the third spot. He was also the highest finishing Rookie of the Year candidates and this marks the best finish of his NASCAR Sprint Cup career.

“Yeah, for sure, definitely I thought it was hopefully a good day for the fans,” he said. “I don’t know that it gets a whole lot better than that as far as a race to the finish. Definitely proud to be a part of it. Unfortunately we couldn’t be on the good end of it. But proud of our effort today.

“We really started a good ways out of where we needed to be. I thought we made a lot of really, really solid gains throughout the day to get our car better and better. Had a lot of fun racing with those guys at the end there. Like I say, hate to not get the job done and be so close, but we’ll keep digging at it and try to get a little better.”

Elliott, while battling Larson for second, couldn’t hold on to the position, but thought if he could’ve cleared Larson that he may have had something for Kenseth.

“It was just a matter of getting some clean laps and not having to fend off the 42 I think was the big thing,” he said. “When somebody’s on your bumper like that, it’s hard to put a real good lap together.

“When you’re racing around people, it just slows everybody down. When the 42 got into the 20, I was able to catch them, got a run on Kyle. Looking back, wish I had done some different things to open up some clear lanes and run different lines. Regardless, I don’t think we were quite as good as what the 42 was there, and he did a good job of getting back by us, giving Matt a shot.”

Elliott’s teammate Jimmie Johnson had a mechanical issue while running in the top-five that ended up taking out 18 cars. Elliot was not in the area when the wreck happened so he was able to avoid it.

“Somewhere in the top lane about five or six rows back,” he noted. “I don’t know. Somewhere in the middle of it. Somehow luckily got through it. Wasn’t anything special I did. Just happened to work out.”