Chase Elliott gives Chevrolet its first win of the season

Fortune sometimes favors the bold, and that's exactly what happened this Sunday for Chase Elliott and his chief mechanic, Alan Gustafsson. With the No. 9 Chevrolet stuck in the middle of the pack all day, only just beginning to glimpse the top 10 at the start of the third and final segment, Elliott took a gamble on an early pit stop on lap 261 of the 400-lap race. The calculation was simple: if the race wasn't neutralized, the possibility of taking the lead was very real.

While betting on a lack of cautions at Martinsville is particularly audacious, given that the smallest oval of the year invites contact, that's exactly what happened, allowing Elliott to take the lead and maintain it even after the caution flag waved later in the final segment. While Denny Hamlin (Joe Gibbs Racing) led for over 290 laps, the driver Toyota encountered competition in the final stint, his car was performing less dominantly in the turbulence.

Elliott and Hamlin quickly overtook Ross Chastain (Trackhouse), but the championship's most popular driver managed to hold on until the end to secure the victory. This is the first time the new version of the Chevrolet Camaro has... NASCAR The Cup Series, introduced this year, is making its mark.

"It's truly a team victory, it's fantastic," Elliott exclaimed after his victory, the 22nd of his career. “We’ve never won a race this early in the season. It was a real team effort, I’m very proud of Alan Gustafsson and everyone else. We took a gamble on pitting early, and we were going to make two stops in the final segment. No matter what happened, I was certain it would go our way. I’m so proud, and I have to say it’s really great when days like these end so well!”

The NASCAR Cup Series field will now enjoy its first break in the season, for Easter weekend, before returning to the track on April 12 in Bristol, Tennessee.

NASCAR – Martinsville
The results of the race

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