Elliott masters the overtime chaos
NASCAR CUP TEXAS MOTOR SPEEDWAY (USA) 14 APRIL ROUND 9/36
NASCAR’S most popular driver Chase Elliott is once again a winner in the Cup Series, with a last-lap wreck in the second overtime of a crash-marred race at Texas Motor Speedway last Sunday bringing a dramatic end to his 42-race winless streak.
Elliott’s drought dated back to his previous victory at Talladega in October 2022, and included several missed races for a leg injury and a one-race NASCAR suspension. After his Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet had grabbed the lead late on from Denny Hamlin (Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota) late in the regulation distance, Elliott had to fend off first Hamlin and then Ross Chastain’s Trackhouse Racing Chevy over three restarts, the last two of them in overtime.
The victory was ensured when a caution on the final lap of the second overtime froze the field and ended the race, with Elliott enjoying a sizeable advantage over the RFK Racing Ford of Brad Keselowski.
Elliott, with his 19th career win, becomes the third different driver from Hendrick to win in the first nine races of the 2024 season. The team has won five of them, with the Gibbs squad on three.
Elliott’s team-mate William Byron, who triggered the final wreck after contact with Chastain, ended up third, ahead of Tyler Reddick and Daniel Suarez.