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Elliott rounded the 1.5-mile oval in 29.294 seconds at 184.401 mph and will start third, while Mayfield's 183.892 mph effort was good enough for fifth. Both drivers were among the six who posted faster times than Todd Bodine's former track record.
"I think it's just team chemistry," said Elliott, who posted a season-best fourth-place finish two races ago at the Infineon road course despite considerable discomfort from a broken left foot.
"All the guys on the 19 car have come together. Kenny Francis that went over there, and was my car boss last year, is really a good guy," Elliott said. "I think the world of Kenny. And he went over to be crew chief for Jeremy, and I think their little group is coming together.
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| Bill Elliott will start third in Sunday's Tropicana 400. Credit: Autostock |
"The first part of the season, with the body change and what we went through, we moved some people around and this, that and the other and kind of disrupted where we needed to be. Now, I think we're starting to get back on track."
Certainly so. Over the past six weeks, Elliott has gained four positions in the championship standings and Mayfield six. But work is yet to be done, as Elliott ranks 19th and Mayfield 27th.
"We've just got to keep working on the car. This business changes week in and week out," Elliott said. "It seems like since last year we missed a little bit with the rule changes.
"I think we're getting better each and every week. I wasn't please with practice today, and Mike (Ford, crew chief) and the guys threw everything they could at it and it paid off."
To the tune of 14 positions. Elliott was 17th in the pre-qualifying practice, but picked up a half-second in qualifying. Mayfield, meanwhile, was fast all day.
"This makes it playful to drive," added Mayfield, who was seventh quick in morning practice. "Bill's in the top five and I'm real glad about that. We've got a good car for Sunday.
"It really is (getting better). We really made a turn for better three, four, five weeks ago, and we're getting better every week."
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Mayfield has certainly improved at Chicagoland. Prior to Friday, he'd never qualified in the top 20 here. But Elliott, on the other hand, is the only Winston Cup driver to post top-10 qualifying runs in each of the three races at Chicagoland.
"It seems to suit my driving style," he said. "I qualified third here last year, and we needed to step it up a little bit," Mayfield said. "It seems like here, Vegas, Kansas City, Indy, Michigan are the kind of racetracks I like. It kind of fits my style well.
"You run into little bumps in the race. You make a change on the car and don't get the particular feel you want. You go down the time sheet and everything is separated by hundredths and thousandths. It don't take much to be off anymore.
"If you get that chemistry going and be pumped up when you walk in the gate and know you've got a good race car, that's half the battle."
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