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Driving the #9 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 for Hendrick Motorsports, Chase Elliott earned his first win of the 2022 NASCAR Cup Series on Monday at Dover Motor Speedway. Elliott emerged victorious in an action-packed race when he took the lead from Ross Chastain on the final restart on lap 348 of 400. He maintained the lead in the final 53 laps and held onto it until the final lap.
DuraMAX Drydene 400 was slowed 12 times due to caution, including a red-flag rain delay on Sunday that forced the race to restart on Monday.
During the post-race interview, Chase Elliott said that the win at Dover meant a lot to him in a different way and later thanked all the fans who came out again to watch the race. He went on to say that Hendrick Motorsports has been deserving of the title for a while and he is happy to win it for them.
“Just so proud. This one means a lot in a lot of different ways. Just appreciate all the effort. But thanks to all the fans for coming out. You’re always awesome. Hope to see this big crowd here next year. Just a huge thanks to everybody involved. It’s been a fun day and we’re certainly going to enjoy.”
He continued:
“Like I told them after the race – those guys, they’ve been deserving of one for a while. Glad we could get across the line first. We’ll enjoy it for a few days and go to work next week.”
“Great to get Hendrick Motorsports back to Victory Lane” - Chase Elliott
Chase Elliott's win at Dover ended his 26-race winless streak and marked his 14th overall victory in his Cup Series career.
The 26-year-old Georgia native admitted that he was in a really good position on the one-mile-long track. He later appreciated his crew chief Alan Gustafson and the entire team for sticking with him in tough times. Elliott feels great about getting his team back into victory lane.
He said:
“Had some good circumstances finally. Really appreciate Alan (Gustafson, crew chief) and our entire team No. 9 Chevrolet team for just sticking with it. We’ve had some tough races over the last, I don’t know, four, five months. Just great to get NAPA back to Victory Lane; great to get Hendrick Motorsports back to Victory Lane.”
Elliott’s win awarded him 50-points and he stands on top of the championship standings with 418 points, one win and two top-5s finishes.
