Chase Elliott, driver of the No. 9 NAPA AUTO PARTS Chevrolet, finished second in Sunday’s 3M 250 NASCAR XFINITY Series race at Iowa Speedway. After leading two times for a race high 114 laps, Elliott notched his highest finishing position of the 2015 season. Elliott now trails championship points leader Ty Dillon by 31 points after 10 races – picking up six points on Dillon in Iowa. Chris Buescher led four different times for a total of 94 laps en route to capturing his second career XFINITY Series victory and first of the 2015 season.
After qualifying in the sixth position Saturday, Elliott moved forward quickly in the early going of Sunday’s race – picking up two positions by the time the first caution flag fell on lap two. There was minimal concern early in the NAPA camp, as Elliott’s Chevrolet briskly paced the .875-mile oval. After the competition caution flag on lap 62, crew chief Ernie Cope brought Elliott in for a slight air pressure adjustment to compliment four fresh tires and two cans of fuel. Prior to entering pit road in the second position Elliott radioed in telling his team he was extremely pleased with the way the NAPA Camaro was firing off. After a lighting fast pit stop by the No. 9 JR Motorsports (JRM) team, Elliott would restart second on lap 67.
On lap 68 Elliott drove by Buescher for the race lead. Elliott proved that clean air was a solid recipe for success Sunday in Iowa, as he was able to build a two-second cushion on the No. 60. Under another caution on lap 143, Cope would bring Elliott in for fuel and four tires. Unfortunately, the team gave up one position on pit road, dropping Elliott to second on the ensuing lap 151 restart. As a caution-plagued 30-lap segment began, Elliott would fight buoyantly throughout before eventually making a key pit stop on lap 180.
Cope, maximized the team’s pit stop under caution on lap 180, by checking for right-side damage and also filling Elliott’s Chevy with enough fuel for the distance. On the succeeding lap 182 restart, Elliott would battle from 14th place, to eventually retake the lead from Buescher on lap 221, all before a heartbreaking finale. A half a lap from taking the white flag, a caution flag fell, forcing the field into a green-white-checkered finish. Without a set of fresh tires, Cope kept Elliott out for the upcoming restart. Elliott gave it all he had, but slipped back to a second-place finish after a commanding effort on the day.
Buescher defeated Elliott, Erik Jones, Brian Scott and Ryan Blaney to round out the top-five.
Chase Elliott, driver No. 9 NAPA AUTO PARTS team
“That is racing some days. We had some right side damage and I think it was a good call to come in and make sure that was ok rather than face the opposite, like cutting down a tire and having a day like we did in Talladega. It was certainly the right move by Ernie (crew chief Ernie Cope) to come in and put on right-side tires. I was able to have a good restart and get back up to the front. We had a super-fast NAPA KNOW HOW Chevrolet today, especially on the long-runs. We took the lead back, but ended up coming up a half a lap short. Overall I was very pleased with the way we unloaded this weekend in Iowa. We were fast in practice and that’s what you want to have, consistency throughout the weekend. We’ll set our sights on Charlotte and get the job done next weekend.”
JR Motorsports PR
