Rome News-Tribune

Elliott looks to build off strong Sonoma showing

- By Jay Cohen Associated Press

JOLIET, Ill. — &KDVH (OOLRWW DUULYHG DW Chicagolan­d Speedway with a blister on his hand and a certain level of VDWLVIDFWL­RQ

The blister was the product of shifting with his right hand while driving with his left on a hot, sweaty weekend at 6RQRPD 7KH SRVLWLYH IHHOLQJ VWHPPHG IURP D JUDWLI\LQJ IRXUWK SODFH ¿QLVK on a challengin­g road course that IUXVWUDWHG KLP LQ WKH SDVW

Heading to the midpoint of his third season on the NASCAR Cup 6HULHV WKH \HDU ROG (OOLRWW UHPDLQV LQ VHDUFK RI KLV ¿UVW ZLQ %XW KH LV learning more and more about what it takes to compete at the highest level RI VWRFN FDU UDFLQJ

³2QH WKLQJ ,¶YH UHDOL]HG WKLV VHDVRQ is when you have things that are on your side you need to make the most RI WKHP ZKLOH \RX KDYH WKHP ´ (OOLRWW VDLG 7KXUVGD\ ³, IHHO OLNH LQ P\ FDUHHU thus far, I’ve had some portions of seasons that were really good carwise and we were really strong, had some great things going for us, things that if I knew then what I know now , ZRXOG ORYH DQRWKHU VKRW DW WKHP

³, WKLQN WKDW¶V WKH ELJJHVW WKLQJ LV \RX MXVW KDYH WR NLQG RI SLFN \RXU battles and you know for us, there’s been races to this point throughout the year that we haven’t been the fastest car at the end of practice or at the end of qualifying and you have to really MXVW NLQG RI VLW EDFN DQG PDNH WKH PRVW RI ZKDW \RX KDYH ´

(OOLRWW WDNHV DQRWKHU VKRW DW KLV ¿UVW ZLQ WKLV 6XQGD\ ZKHQ WKH &XS Series returns to a mid-summer date DW &KLFDJRODQG IRU WKH ¿UVW WLPH VLQFH

7KH WUDFN KRVWHG WKH RSHQLQJ round of the playoffs the past seven \HDUV EXW /DV 9HJDV 0RWRU 6SHHGZD\ JHWV WKH KRQRU WKLV VHDVRQ

The last time NASCAR visited the

PLOH RYDO LQ VXEXUEDQ &KLFDJR (OOLRWW OHG IRU ODSV DQG ¿QLVKHG VHFRQG ODVW 6HSWHPEHU ,W ZDV D QLFH moment for one of racing’s most SRSXODU \RXQJ GULYHUV

7KHQ MXVW OLNH WKDW LW ZDV JRQH (OOLRWW¶V +HQGULFN 0RWRUVSRUW­V WHDP was penalized for an aerodynami­c PRGL¿FDWLRQ WKDW ZDV GLVFRYHUHG GXULQJ D SRVW UDFH LQVSHFWLRQ &UHZ FKLHI $ODQ *XVWDIVRQ ZDV ¿QHG and suspended one race, and the team was docked 15 driver points and 15 RZQHU SRLQWV

(OOLRWW ZKR ZRQ DQ ;¿QLW\ 6HULHV race at Chicagolan­d four years ago and ¿QLVKHG WKLUG LQ KLV ¿UVW &XS UDFH DW WKH WUDFN LQ GURSSHG IURP VL[WK SODFH WR HLJKWK LQ WKH SRVWVHDVRQ VWDQGLQJV He took his second straight playoff appearance all the way to Phoenix, ZKHUH KH ZDV SDVVHG E\ 0DWW .HQVHWK with 10 laps left and eliminated with DQRWKHU VHFRQG SODFH ¿QLVK

³7KH SDVW WZR UDFHV KHUH DW &KLFDJR KDYH EHHQ UHDOO\ JRRG IRU XV ´ (OOLRWW VDLG ³, WKLQN WKDW D ORW RI LW LV NLQG RI FLUFXPVWDQ­WLDO :H KDG VRPH JUHDW WKLQJV JRLQJ RQ , UHPHPEHU WKRVH two races were right at the beginning of the playoffs and we had from a car standpoint, we had some good things going, some nice upgrades that were going on aside from our penalty we KDG VRPH JRRG WKLQJV JRLQJ ´

(OOLRWW¶V VXFFHVV DW &KLFDJRODQG ZDV SDUW RI WRS ¿YH ¿QLVKHV LQ WKH SUHYLRXV WZR VHDVRQV $ VLPLODU showing this weekend could provide D ELJ OLIW IRU WKH VRQ RI :LQVWRQ &XS 6HULHV FKDPSLRQ %LOO (OOLRWW

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³/LNH , VDLG D IHZ ZHHNV DJR WKHUH are some things going on amongst our group that’s really good and that you have to have to go and compete for race wins and I think we’re doing VRPH RI WKDW ´ KH VDLG ³1RW HYHU\WKLQJ but we’re doing some of the things DORQJ WKH ZD\ WKDW LW WDNHV 6R SXW all the pieces together and hopefully ZH¶OO EH WKHUH ´

 ?? / AP file - Chuck Burton ?? After finishing a strong fourth in last week’s road race at Sonoma, Chase follow him into this weekend’s return to oval racing at Chicagolan­d. Elliott is hopeful that the momentum will
/ AP file - Chuck Burton After finishing a strong fourth in last week’s road race at Sonoma, Chase follow him into this weekend’s return to oval racing at Chicagolan­d. Elliott is hopeful that the momentum will

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