TC Daily Pit Stop: Larson Scores Second Win of Season; Elliott's Leg Held Up at Martinsville
TC Daily Pit Stop: Monday, April 17th, 2023
Kyle Larson Uses Two-Tire Strategy to Earn Second Win of 2023 at Martinsville
Photo Credit: Jonathan McCoy, TobyChristie.com
Track position meant everything in Sunday’s NASCAR Cup Series NOCO 400 at Martinsville Speedway, which made a decision to take two-tires on the final pit stop of the day an easy choice for Kyle Larson and his crew chief Cliff Daniels.
The choice put Larson in a position to chase down Joey Logano and four other drivers, who opted to not pit under the late-race caution, and Larson did just that. After a masterful battle with Logano, Larson took the lead and never looked back over the final 30 laps of the race.
RACE RECAP
RACE RESULTS
DRIVER POINTS
OWNER POINTS
INSPECTION REPORT
Chase Elliott Says Leg Held Up Great at Martinsville; Proud of Top 10 Finish
Photo Credit: Jonathan McCoy, TobyChristie.com
Chase Elliott made it through his first race following a six-race absence after surgery on a broken left tibia in Sunday’s NOCO 400 at Martinsville Speedway. Following the 400-lap contest, Elliott climbed from his car and went to the ground for a bit to regain his composure.
Elliott said that his leg was a non-issue throughout the day and that the thing that had the bigger impact on him was simply being unconditioned for in-race situations due to being out of the car so long.
“Yeah, I feel fine. I’m definitely tired just because I’ve been sitting on the couch like I said,” Elliott explained. “Other than that, my leg is stiff. My knee is stiff, but I don’t hurt or anything like that. So, about where I thought I would be.”
Elliott, who was mired in the running order for most of the race, was able to score a 10th-place finish. The Hendrick Motorsports driver said overcoming the early lack of speed and finishing top-10 was something to be proud of.