Chase Elliott on closing in on NNS title: 'It would mean the world to me'
Just a few months ago, 18-year-old Chase Elliott was graduating from high school. Now after a fourth-place finish at Texas Motor Speedway on Saturday, the second-generation driver is one step closer to earning his first NASCAR Nationwide Series championship.
Starting in the 11th spot, Elliott and his JR Motorsports team led by crew chief Greg Ives struggled in the early stages of the race, worked on the car throughout the runs and climbed into the top five late in the race when it mattered most.
"I'll be the first to admit, we really struggled to start the day," said Elliott. "For us, to go from that to being able to battle inside the top five, I can't thank my guys enough for not giving up on me, and Greg making the right adjustments. Pit stops were phenomenal all day especially at the end there when it counted on those last couple stops.
"I feel like it was a great team effort to be able to turn a really, really bad day into a decent finish in fourth," he said. "We'll take it and hopefully we can battle those guys for the win in Phoenix."
With the fourth-place finish, the rookie sensation heads to next week's race at Phoenix International Raceway with a 48-point advantage over his teammate Regan Smith.
Smith entered the day 42 points out of the lead, but was unable to gain any ground in Saturday's race and now has just the Phoenix race and the season finale at Homestead-Miami Speedway to try to close the gap, a nearly impossible task.
The driver of the No. 7 JR Motorsports Chevrolet had to make an unscheduled pit stop for a loose wheel, tried to stretch his fuel later than most in the final stages of the race, and finished the day in the 11th spot.
With the 48-point advantage, Elliott could wrap up the Nationwide Series championship next weekend at Phoenix, before the official end of the season at Homestead. If either JR Motorsports driver can earn the title, it will be the first for the organization.
Elliott said it would "be phenomenal" to wrap up his first NASCAR national series championship next week at Phoenix.
"It would mean the world to me," said Elliott. "Not just for me, but our team and our sponsors, NAPA, and everybody that makes it happen. We'll give it our best shot to do so. We'd still like to have another win or two before the year is out, that is our main goal. The biggest thing about the points is knowing you get the most points for finishing the highest up at the end of the day. I think that's about as much as you've got to think about it."
VIDEO: A look back at Chase Elliott's third win of this season at Chicagoland
