NAPA and Elliott on brink of championship

Chase Elliott holds a commanding 48-point lead in the NASCAR Nationwide Series standings with 2 races remaining.

DRIVER: Chase Elliott / No. 9 NAPA AUTO PARTS Chevrolet
RACE: DAV 200 Honoring America’s Veterans (200 laps / 200 miles)TRACK: Phoenix International Raceway
DATE: Saturday, Nov. 8, 2014

NAPA and Elliott on Brink of First Championship Together

MOORESVILLE, N.C. (Nov. 5, 2014) – On the brink of his first NASCAR Nationwide Series championship, NAPA AUTO PARTS driver Chase Elliott, eyes a chance to also become the first rookie and youngest ever to win one of NASCAR’s top three national touring series championships.

Elliott will arrive in Phoenix with a 48-point lead on his JR Motorsports teammate, Regan Smith. With the stage set, Elliott will need to gain only one point on second place in the points standings in order to clinch the 2014 NASCAR Nationwide Series Championship. Head-to-head this year, Elliott has outran his teammate (Smith) in 21 out of 31 races thus far in the season. During the rainout at Phoenix in March, Smith finished eighth and Elliott finished ninth. However, that was only Elliott’s second career start.

NAPA AUTO PARTS also looks to clinch its first championship since Ron Hornaday Jr. won the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Championship in 1996 and 1998 for the Atlanta-based company. But this time it would happen at the Nationwide Series level, one step above the Camping World Truck Series.

Regardless of all the various points scenarios, one thing is certain; if Elliott finishes inside the top-20 this weekend at Phoenix and next weekend at Homestead-Miami Speedway, he will win the championship.

In the Sunoco Rookie of the Year standings, Elliott has pushed his lead over Ty Dillon to 52 points. Elliott is also in the running for Most Popular Driver in the Nationwide Series: Vote for Chase Elliott.

With the possibility of Elliott clinching the Nationwide Series championship on Saturday, all eyes will be on Phoenix International Raceway when the DAV 200 kicks off at 3:30 p.m. ET on ESPN and MRN/Sirius XM.

Chase Elliott on Phoenix International Raceway:

“We had a very solid run last weekend at Texas collectively as a team. This is the type of performance and momentum you want late in any season. I am very excited about getting back out to Phoenix. In the spring we had a decent run, but due to the rain-out we never were able to get a full analysis of the weekend. I love short-track racing, which is what Phoenix is all about, but I certainly have a lot to learn about Phoenix and how to get around there."

JR Motorsports