Elliott Climbs to Third at Sonoma After Bold Strategy
Chase Elliott secured a commendable third-place finish at the Toyota/Save Mart 350 on Sunday at Sonoma Raceway, demonstrating resilience and strategic prowess late in the race. Despite not clinching victory, Elliott praised his team’s tactics, stating, “Alan (Gustafson, crew chief) made a great call to get us on offense and at least give us a shot.”
Starting from 13th, Elliott navigated a challenging race that had only one caution in the early stages. He finished 10th in Stage 1 and fell outside the points in Stage 2 but managed to climb to third by the final laps, positioning himself for a late charge towards victory.
With 15 laps remaining and a caution due to a wheel loss by Cody Ware, the No. 9 team opted for a bold pit strategy, bringing Elliott in first for fresh tires. He restarted 14th with 11 laps to go, quickly making his way back into contention.
Following a fierce restart, Elliott reached 11th before another caution halted his momentum. The final restart saw him enter the top three, just two seconds behind race leader Shane van Gisbergen. However, a crucial mistake in the penultimate lap led to Elliott losing ground after running wide and allowing Christopher Bell to reclaim third.
“I got wide and then I ran in the rest of the dirt. It happens there at the top of the hill,” Elliott explained. Despite the setback, he managed to finish in third, maintaining consistent performance amid fierce competition.
This result marks Elliott’s fourth top-five finish in five races, strengthening his position as he rises to second in the standings. He currently trails teammate William Byron by only 14 points in the quest for the regular season title, with six races remaining before the start of the playoffs.
