Chase Elliott, driver of the No. 9 NAPA AUTO PARTS Chevrolet, finished fourth in Saturday’s Nationwide Children’s Hospital 200 NASCAR Nationwide Series race at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course. It was his ninth top-five finish through 22 races, and he now has a 10-point lead over teammate Regan Smith. Rookie Chris Buescher led 25 laps on his way to his first career Nationwide Series win.
Starting ninth, Elliott piloted his NAPA AUTO PARTS Chevy towards the front early, picking up spots one-by-one as he maneuvered around the tricky 13-turn road course. Elliott’s only feedback early on was the inability to stabilize the rear end of his NAPA machine through the course’s right-hand turns. The issue was later resolved by crew chief Greg Ives on lap 27 when he made a chassis adjustment which provided Elliott the necessary grip to advance even further up the leaderboard.
The final restart came with 14 laps to go with Elliott in fifth. He was able to bypass road course specialist Alex Tagliani for fourth on lap 77. Elliott held on to the fourth position to notch another strong finish in the series’ final road course event of the season. The effort gives Elliott a 4.6-average finish in three starts on road courses – a best among all Nationwide Series regulars.
Buescher outlasted Smith, Brian Scott, Elliott and Tagliani to score the victory.
JR Motorsports PR
- CHEVROLET NCS AT DOVER: Busch Claims First Pole Win of the 2024 Season - April 27, 2024
- “Shugah’” Shane Sexton Back on Track Tonight at Perris Auto Speedway - April 27, 2024
- Ford Performance – NCS Dover Qualifying - April 27, 2024