Elliott picks up third-straight road race win in Daytona debut

[August 17, 2020]  During a teleconference with the media early last week, driver Chase Elliott opined that the first-ever NASCAR Cup Series race to be held on the infield road course at Daytona International Speedway would be "super, super difficult."

But once Sunday's Go Bowling 235 at the 3.61-mile, 14-turn 'roval' began, Elliott made it took super, super easy.

No notes, no practice, no qualifying because of the pandemic? No problem, as Elliott led a race-best 34 of 65 laps in getting the victory.

His victory came by 0.2 seconds over runner-up Denny Hamlin, but the margin could have been much bigger as he had a 9-second lead until a wreck and yellow flag bunched up the field for a restart with three laps to go.

"Our guys did a phenomenal job," Elliott said. "I just had a phenomenal car. I don't think I did anything very special today."

The victory was the Hendrick Motorsports driver's third in a row on road courses and his fourth in the last six starts on the twisties. It was his second overall win of the season and eight Cup win in his career.

"It means a lot," Elliott, who was on a 14-race winless skid, said. "We've been struggling the past few weeks. We were really struggling at Michigan, I felt like. We didn't know for sure if we were going to be good here. But thought if we were, we really needed to capitalize, I mean, running eighth or seventh or whatever we did at Michigan, an extra five bonus points could be the difference in you making it to the next round once this deal (the playoffs) starts."

Hamlin was trying to win for the sixth time in 2020.

NASCAR Cup Series driver Chase Elliott (9) celebrates in the winners circle after winning the Go Bowling 235 Road Course at Daytona International Speedway. Mandatory Credit: Douglas DeFelice-USA TODAY Sports

Third was Martin Truex Jr., Hamlin's Joe Gibbs Racing teammate, who was going for his fourth victory in the last eight road races.

Seven-time Cup champion Jimmie Johnson, who is looking to end a 116-race winless streak, finished fourth in his Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet Camaro

Finishing fifth was Chris Buescher of Roush Fenway Racing.

For much of the race it looked like defending series champion Kyle Busch might get his first win of the season. But issues with his car, and then a hard crash with five laps to go, prolonged Busch's 2020 misery.

Three races now remain before the start of the 10-race, 16-driver championship-deciding playoffs. Two of those races will be held next weekend as Dover hosts a Saturday-Sunday double header.

--Field Level Media

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