Elliott sits 26 points in front of JRM teammate Regan Smith in the standings
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It was the same old story on the NASCAR Nationwide Series circuit this weekend. Another race, another top finish for Chase Elliott, as the 18-year-old rookie wunderkind took third in the Dover 200 at the Monster Mille.
The NASCAR Next alum showed a level of poise and technical skill well beyond his years, rallying from 24th to the top of the field after he was forced to pit on Lap 39 due to a cracked front bumper suffered from following too close to a wreck.
“My team gave me an awesome car,” Elliott said. “From the drop of the green, we had speed and I knew we had a car capable of winning. We just couldn’t overcome the early mistake. I was very pleased with the way my team taped up the car and got it to where it was still competitive. We battled as hard as we could. It just wasn’t enough.”
Despite his disappointment about failing to capture the win, Elliott furthered his grasp on the top of the Nationwide Series standings, increasing his lead over teammate Regan Smith to 26 points with just five races left. Barring a colossal mistake in the stretch run, Elliott will become the first rookie to ever win a NASCAR national series championship.
The No. 9 NAPA Auto Parts Chevrolet driver has pulled away from the field by riding a string of nine straight top-10 finishes, including six top-five showings. He boasts 14 top-fives on the season.
The next stop on Elliott’s title conquest is Saturday’s Kansas Lottery 300 at Kansas Speedway (3:30 p.m. ET on ESPN). The 1.5-mile tri-oval marks the first new track he has visited since the Aug. 30 race at Atlanta. Unknown courses have yet to faze Elliott this season. All three of his victories have come at tracks he had never raced at before (Texas, Darlington and Chicagoland).
“From what I’ve seen at Kansas Speedway, it certainly puts on a great show for the fans, so I hope we are able to provide excitement come Saturday,” Elliott said. “This team is relentless and we’re proud of that. We have five races left with a goal in sight and we’re not stopping until we achieve what we set out to do.”
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