Elliott wins at Charlotte, Caps off tough week! (5-30-20)
By: Becca Cottingham
Headline Photo Courtesy: beyondtheflag.com
We are back at Charlotte Motor speedway after a huge win for Brad Keselowski and heartbreak for Chase Elliott and Jimmie Johnson. We tried to race on Wednesday night but weather was not on NASCAR’s side. So here we are Thursday under the lights. We will see a competition caution to night due to the rain and the lack of practice. We have three and four wide racing mid-pack and before lap one is completely Garrett Smithley and Joey Gase are involved in a wreck. There were reports around the same time that Tyler Reddick’s car was leaking some oil. With a first lap crash we are in for a fun night of racing. William Byron, Matt DiBenedetto, and Alex Bowman were all out front battling for the lead. Right after the competition caution Matt Kenseth spin out. It appears that Brad Keselowski has a flat right tire just prior to the Matt Kenseth spin. Then the red flag hits due to weather. They got back racing and Joey Logano was able to win stage one.
Brennan Poole and Quinn Houff have some issues right after the start of stage two. Kyle Busch and Chase Elliott both have damaged cars. Chase Elliott and Austin Dillon had an issue on the track. Kyle Busch cut a tire and ended up coming back out two laps down. Alex Bowman got out front after all the cautions and just took off. Kevin Harvick is going three wide to pass drivers on the track. Alex Bowman while he was not always the fast car on the track had a solid lead. He ended up being our winner of the second stage of the race.
The track is cool after the rain and will make the third and final stage a lot of fun. Kevin Harvick got out front and was truly showing off. His car seemed to have short run speed. This should prove to be interesting if the last stage goes without a caution. Timmy Hill brought out a caution and it is possible for drivers to be able to finish the race from here. Looks like Chase Elliott’s team maybe making an adjustment but Kevin Harvick remains out front. The battle continues and with a less than thirty laps left in the race Chase Elliott is able to pass Kevin Harvick for the lead. Will this be Chase Elliott’s night to win after being taken out of the May 20th race? The race does stay green for the last laps with racing going on throughout the field. Denny Hamlin is charging towards the front wanting another win, but it appear Chase wants it a little more. After such a tough week, Chase Elliott is able to win at Charlotte.
