Elliott’s race started a lot better than it ended. He qualified second behind veteran Clay Rogers, the eventual race winner. Elliott maintained his position at the drop of the green flag, but on Lap Three Brandon Ward nosed inside, allowing Benny Gordon and Derrick Kelly to pass as well, dropping Elliott to fifth. 

 Caution was displayed on Lap Seven for a spin in Turn Four.  Jeff Agnew worked his way around Elliott on the restart, but Elliott maintained the sixth position as the frontrunners began to work the lapped traffic. It was Elliott’s turn to move by Michael Mohelski on Lap 45, but when Elliott hit his brakes to avoid a collision with Mohelski, he realized his brakes were failing.

 After collecting himself in the ninth position Elliott radioed to his crew that he was pumping the pedal each lap in an effort to get at least some braking.

  His father, Bill Elliott, who has been in similar situations numerous times over the years, was spotting for his son and told him to try to make the best of their bad situation.

 “You’re just going to have to do the best that you can with it and stay off of them,” he said.

  Crew Chief Ricky Turner told Elliott to turn on the brake fans and to change his entry into the corners so that less braking would be needed. The changes provided some relief.

 When the caution flag flew on Lap 56, Turner called for a fuel-only pit stop, knowing that would get them within the window necessary to finish the race on one tank of fuel.  

 Elliott brought the Aaron’s Dream Machine down pit road in ninth and came back out in the eighth position. 

 When green-flag racing resumed, Elliott began to reel in Matt Lofton when caution was displayed on Lap 85 for a blown motor by Caleb Holeman.  Two drivers running ahead of Elliott pitted during this caution giving him the sixth position for the restart on Lap 97. 

The Aaron’s crew was looking for a caution between Laps 125 and 150 to change four tires for the run to the finish.  Elliott lost the sixth position to Mark McFarland on Lap 108.  By Lap 162 Elliott was still in the seventh position but not getting the caution period he needed for his tire strategy to work out.  On Lap 175, Jeff Agnew blew an engine, moving Elliott back into the sixth position. Meanwhile, he tracked McFarland back down and was working on him for the fifth position and was finally successful on Lap 179.

 A caution on Lap 180 gave the Aaron’s team a chance to pit.

 “We’re going to fix you up,” Turner told his driver.  A smooth four-tire pit stop by the Dream Machine crew, including necessary adjustments to the car, put Elliott back on the track in the sixth position. Restart order: leader Derrick Kelly, Clay Rogers, Benny Gordon, Brandon Ward, A.J Frank and Elliott.

 When the green flag flew again on Lap 187, Elliott and McFarland went door-to-door with McFarland taking back sixth place. 

 Bill Elliott radioed to his driver: “Now get your rhythm. We’ve got 60 laps to go.”

 But on Lap 198, the Dream Machine dropped off the pace.

  ”What happened?” Bill Elliott asked his son.

 The reply: “Broke.”
 And then some final words to his crew.

 “Sorry about that guys. We’ll just have to get ‘em next time.”

  Chase Elliott will join Ken Schrader and Kyle Busch for Champion Racing Association Late Models second annual Wilson & Welch Motorsports Redbud 300 next Monday at Anderson Speedway in Anderson, IN. Gates open at 4 p.m. with the race starting at 7:30 p.m. There is an autograph session at 6 p.m.