HARD KNOCKS MAKE FOR A CHARACTER BUILDING NIGHT
by cindy on Jul.27, 2010, under Chase Elliott News, Front Page News
| DAWSONVILLE, Ga. (July 27, 2010) – Chase Elliott got some Sprint Cup type experience on Monday in the CRA Super Series Red Bud 300 at Anderson (Ind.) Speedway. He got to race wheel-to-wheel with Kyle Busch, and he wound up getting a taste of how Juan Pablo Montoya felt after making a four-tire pit stop late in the Brickyard 400.
Elliott’s Anderson experience started off on a good note. His Aaron’s Dream Machine was among the top five in practice, and he qualified fifth behind pole-sitter Kyle Busch for the main event.
The invert of seven put Ross Kenseth on the pole with Elliott starting third. The leaders were lapping cars on the quarter-mile speedway by Lap 13 which made for very aggressive and focused driving by all. But Elliott was up for the task and passed Scott Hantz and Kenseth for the second and first positions respectively and built a comfortable lead by lap 29.
Meanwhile, Busch worked his way to the front, and he and Elliott were battling for the lead by Lap 43. Elliott held Busch off until Lap 52 when Busch took the top spot. It was reminiscent of another race between the two a few weeks back at Berlin Raceway.
The two continued to lap slower drivers, and by Lap 59 they were lapping Kenseth, who was inverted to the pole for the start of the race. Elliott maintained his second place position until caution was displayed on Lap 114. It was during that caution that Busch reported car problems and came into the pits, relinquishing the front spot to Elliott, who maintained the lead for the remaining 36 laps to take the checked flag at the half way point in the race.
Elliott reported to his crew at the half way break: “I am just a little bit tight in the center, and then it wants to get free with me up off.” Crew chief Ricky Turner and the Aaron’s pit crew went to work making adjustments for the second half of the race. They decided on a strategy of four tires. The teams that take the fewest tires will line up ahead of the others, and that put Elliott in the ninth position for the restart. Hantz and Van Doorn took on only two tires and Fisher, Jim Crabtree Jr., Eddie Hoffman, Rick Turner, Tommy St. John and Mario Gosselin took three tires.
This was where Elliott found himself in a similar spot to Montoya, who gave up the lead at the Brickyard to take four tires and crashed trying to overtake the drivers who took just two.
By the caution period on Lap 172, Elliott had worked his way up to seventh passing Gosselin and St. John. Campbell had car issues and parked it for the night moving Elliott up to sixth.
Several restarts worked against Elliott, as every time he passed Crabtree, the caution flew again, and he had to relinquish the spot. After several laps of position swapping, Elliott got into the back of Crabtree and was sent to the rear of the field. He restarted 16th, but after just 17 laps was back to 11th. A caution period on Lap 132 closed the field, and Elliott worked his way into the eighth position by Lap 255.
Elliott and Tyler Roahrig were battling hard for five laps when Elliott, for the second time of the evening, ran into a competitor and was sent to the rear of the field.
He came back again, and after starting 13th with 33 laps remaining, worked his way into the top five.
He took the white flag in sixth position, but as he made a move that could have given him the fourth position, he was collected in another driver’s wreck and wound up finishing 10th.
Elliott apologized to his crew for the incidents he was involved in on the track. “I’m sorry guys; I have messed this entire night up.” He also offered apologies to the other drivers involved, telling Speed51 Radio: “I was just driving over my head.”
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July 27th, 2010 on 3:19 pm
Good solid run Chase. Hey you are 14 years old. There is a lot to learn and one of those nights was last night. Keep your chin up the wins will start coming again.
July 27th, 2010 on 3:21 pm
Thanks. I will be working at the shop to repair all of the damage I can personally.
July 27th, 2010 on 4:52 pm
Chase way to go last night in Anderson you made a great show even better coming through the field time and time again. I need a t-shirt… where can i get them at? that way i can be one of the first at the cup level to have one of your shirts.
July 27th, 2010 on 5:30 pm
Thanks. I hope to come back there some time. Anyway right now the only way you can get a tee shirt is to join the fan club. It is $20 and the entire fan club kit is a tee shirt. Thanks for the support!
July 28th, 2010 on 10:29 am
Chase It sounds like it was Brickyard!!! Big time driving kiddo. Good job on your hard driving and maximum effort. You’ll get him next time!
July 28th, 2010 on 6:16 pm
Never give up. I like that! I’m sure we’ll hear “They’re Chasing Elliott” soon. What’s next? How old do you have to be to run ARCA?
July 28th, 2010 on 9:23 pm
Chase, I hope I get to see you run again soon. Keep up the good work!
July 29th, 2010 on 9:05 am
Thanks, I really enjoyed the track there.
July 29th, 2010 on 9:05 am
Unfortuanantly 16 for the short tracks they rae on and 18 for the tracks over a mile. So I have a ways to go.
July 29th, 2010 on 9:06 am
Thanks, its been fun getting to know the fans up in your region. Super race fans!
July 29th, 2010 on 9:06 am
I just can’t believe the support of the fans there after my performance. Thank you!
July 29th, 2010 on 1:37 pm
Great Job Chase you are a great driver who will only improve. How do I join your fan club?
July 29th, 2010 on 5:39 pm
Well you are supposed to be able to click on the “join the Chase Ellitt Fan ClubTab” on the home page of Chaseelliott.com but it doesnt seem to be navigating to the right place so I will have to work on that tonight and see. Check it out after 5 tomorrow and hopefully it will be back up.
July 29th, 2010 on 6:04 pm
Got it figured out.One question there was nowhere to enter t shirt size sorry to ask on this thread but i didn’t know where else to ask? Can’t wait to see you race again I hope to be at North Wilkesboro.
July 29th, 2010 on 6:38 pm
You can tell me if you want. I sent your request to the site admin as well. Yes, PASS is racing in North Wilkesboro and I cant wait, never been there either!
July 29th, 2010 on 8:32 pm
chase glad to see your comming to my home track (iowa speedway) your dad has been my favorite driver since 1979 and i know how his successor will be keep learning from the best!!!!!
July 30th, 2010 on 8:53 am
Looking forward to it, if the rain will stop.
July 30th, 2010 on 11:35 am
GOOD LUCK IN IOWA!!!!!
July 30th, 2010 on 1:38 pm
Thanks! Looks like we will start in the back as they have now canceled qualifying and Chase has only run a few of these USAR races so he doesnt have many points.
August 1st, 2010 on 6:42 pm
tough break there in Anderson,Not a bad run in Iowa from the coverage i could get.You boys will get a handle on that car too! Keep diggin’ Dude!