Chase Elliott Holds On For A Top-10 Finish At Pocono

LONG POND, PA – Using the notes from their previous win at Pocono Raceway, Chase Elliott and the No. 9 Aaron’s Dream Machine/Hendrickcars.com team put together a solid day during the Aug. 2 ARCA Racing Series event at the Tricky Triangle. Elliott rallied from a deep starting spot and led six laps before a flat left-front tire in the closing laps resulted in a ninth-place finish.

Elliott’s second trip to Pocono started much the same as his first. Rain prompted race officials to cancel the first day of track activity, and a make-up practice session was scheduled for Friday morning. However, weather continued to impact the race weekend when the rescheduled session was scratched due to heavy fog in Turn 1. Race officials opted to cancel qualifying – for the second straight time at Pocono – to give the teams a chance to practice prior to the late-afternoon race.

Just as in June, the field for Pocono was set based on owners points. This meant the driver of the No. 9 Aaron’s Dream Machine/Hendrickcars.com Chevrolet lined up 23rd. Despite starting near the end of the 36-car field, the 17-year-old driver sounded calm on the radio and encouraged his team during the pace laps of Friday’s 50-lap event. After topping the speed charts in the make-up practice session earlier that afternoon, Elliott felt confident in his ability to race to the front.

The Dawsonville, Ga., native wasted no time when the green flag waved. He improved from 23rd to run eighth within the first circuit of the 125-mile event. Elliott continued to pick his way through the field and took the lead on Lap 22 as green-flag stops began in what ultimately would be a caution-free race. The No. 9 Aaron’s Dream Machine/Hendrickcars.com Chevrolet came out of the pits with four fresh tires, but lost some track position because the rest of the field completed two-tire stops.

Now in seventh, Elliott once again began to work his way through the field. He climbed as high as third on Lap 37 before radioing that he had a left-front tire going down. Crew chief Lance McGrew instructed the crew to change all four tires before sending the No. 9 Chevrolet back on the track in 11th. Elliott picked up two more positions in the final nine laps and ultimately finished ninth for his fourth top-10 finish of the ARCA season.

Next up, Elliott will switch gears to race in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series on Aug. 21 at the short track of Bristol (Tenn.) Motor Speedway.