Due to inclement weather at Dover, Chase Elliott will roll off from the pole, courtesy of NASCAR’s metric system that blends owners’ points and a driver’s finishing position plus fastest lap time from the previous race, to determine the lineup when qualifying is washed out.
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In 14 starts at the ‘Monster Mile’, Elliott has tallied two wins and ten top-fives. Yet, none of the last 24 pole sitters have managed to convert their starting advantage into a victory at this track. Elliott, however, remains upbeat.
With his playoff berth already secured following his Atlanta win two weeks ago, the No. 9 driver is eyeing his second win of the season and hopes to snap that pole winner’s drought. Speaking ahead of Sunday’s race, Elliott remarked, “I guess just hope it’s not 25. That’s about all I can do right now. We’ll try to break the streak.”
When asked about the rain and its effect on track conditions, especially since NASCAR hasn’t laid rubber there since the spring of last year, Elliott admitted it is a legitimate concern going into the race.
With a new tire compound in play this weekend, drivers were eager for track time, but both practice and qualifying were wiped out. Addressing the challenge, Elliott explained, “When you just have unknowns with the tire, I think, kind of to expand on some of the earlier questions. Yes, I think that there’s definitely an element of concern and just the fact that you don’t have those answers, right?”
“So it’ll be a little bit of a trial-and-error run throughout the race, and hopefully the error is not too large that we can’t overcome it if there is one. Be smart, take advantage of that first pit stall, try to go to work and put together a full race,” he added.
Elliott has the second-best average finish at Dover, trailing only teammate Kyle Larson, making him a clear favorite heading into Sunday. His last win at the track came in 2022, but he will have to fend off stiff competition from Joe Gibbs Racing’s newest recruit, Chase Briscoe, who lines up alongside him on the front row, with Christopher Bell, Tyler Reddick, William Byron, and Shane van Gisbergen starting right behind.
