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Chase Elliott continued his stellar Late Model rookie campaign over the weekend with another solid sixth-place finish in the ASA Southeast Asphalt Tour at his home track, Lanier National Speedway (Braselton, Ga.).  The 13-year-old driver out of Dawsonville, Ga., started the 100-lap race in fifth and ran in the top-ten all night to finish sixth. 

“That was a tough fight for sixth place,” Elliott said after climbing out of the No. 9 Aaron’s Lucky Dog Dream Machine.  “My car got looser as the night went on causing me to have trouble getting up off the corners.  By the time I found a groove the car liked and could make up some time to the leaders we were out of laps to get there.  The Southeast Asphalt Tour always has a strong field, and we were running all night with some of the best guys out there – so I’m definitely happy with another strong top-ten here tonight.  

“We had Mr. Butler and Mr. Rudnick along with several other representatives from Aaron’s here tonight, and it was great to race in front of them and my hometown fans.  We were able to watch Brett Butler in the Pro-Cup series come home in 4th and I think everyone had a great time.  I can’t thank Aaron’s enough for all of the support they give me – along with all of our contingency sponsors – to go out and do what I love to do every weekend.  And a big thanks to mom and dad and to everyone on the team for giving me another great car this weekend.  I am looking forward to taking this knowledge and coming back to Lanier again this Friday to race in the Georgia Asphalt series race here again.” 

After hovering near the top of the speed charts during all three practice rounds, Elliott qualified the No. 9 Aaron’s Lucky Dog Dream Machine in fifth and kept his position after drawing a “five” for the starting line-up. 

The 30-car ASA SAT field took the green flag for the RC Cola / Moon Pie 100 at Lanier but didn’t complete a lap before a scuffle in turn one resulted in the first yellow.  On the official re-start, TJ Reaid stuck the nose of his No. 41 machine under the No. 9, causing Elliott to slip up the track going through turns three and four.  Elliott got stuck on the outside and slipped back to seventh before he could maneuver the Dream Machine back into line.  

After two quick laps, the race went under caution again for a pile-up on the backstretch.  With only two laps on the board, only 19 of 30 cars remained on the track.  Elliott lined up on the inside of the fourth row for the re-start and got shuffled to eighth before the next caution on lap 17, which was a result of Reaid spinning the No. 36 of Tim Russell.  Elliott picked up two positions, one from Russell and one from Reaid who was moved to the back for aggressive driving.  

Elliott re-started on the outside in sixth and quickly fell into line as the front of the field spread out single file after three laps.  The laps ticked off and Elliott maintained his position until the next caution on lap 39.  He reported to his crew that the car was stable and not too loose off, and he was eager to see what he and the rest of the field would have at the end of the race. 

On the re-start, Elliott picked up fifth position from Austin Hill and found himself on the rear bumper of his Bill Elliott Racing teammate, Casey Roderick, where he followed for a good 20 laps.  Elliott took a look to the inside of Roderick’s No. 19, but wasn’t able to pressure him for position.  After Roderick moved up to third, Elliott pressured the No. 24 of Parker Hammons for fourth but wasn’t able to make a move before the final caution on lap 80 for a spin between Hill and Max Gresham just behind Elliott. 

Elliott re-started in fifth but slipped to seventh as Gresham took a position on the outside and Reaid, who had the fastest car all night and was charging back to the front after his penalty, took another position on the inside. 

With ten laps to go, Elliott held off pressure from behind by Keeton Hanks in the No. 09 and took over sixth position from Hammons on lap 93. 

From there, Elliott had his sights set on cracking the top-five, but, as they say in racing, he just ran out of laps.  The finish was Elliott’s 10th top-ten in 11 career LM starts since March 2009. 

Elliott and the No. 9 Aaron’s Dream Machine return to their home track, Lanier National Speedway this Friday, July 3, for a special fireworks show for the 100-lap Georgia Asphalt Series race.  

For more information about Chase Elliott, including his Late Model schedule and personal race blog, please visit the newly launched www.ChaseElliott.com.  

RC Cola / MoonPie 100

Lanier National Speedway

June 27, 2009

Unofficial Results

1. Paul Kelley

2. Russell Fleeman

3. Casey Roderick

4. Max Gresham

5. TJ Reaid

6. Chase Elliott

7. Parker Hammons

8. Keeton Hanks

9. Tyler Millwood

10. Tim Russell

11. Stephen Nasse

12. Austin Hill

13. Jerrod Foley

14. Clay Alexander

15. Davey Coble

16. Tyler Miles

17. Kevin Stephens

18. Jason Hogan

19. Terry Horak

20. Shane Chastain

21. Allen Gordan

22. Shane Sawyer

23. Taylor Satterfield

24. Dwayne Buggay

25. Michael Pilla

26. James Nelius

27. Lee Langford

28. Colt James

29. Jeremy Rice

30. Jeff Choquette

About Aaron’s:  Aaron's Sales & Lease Ownership stores offer customers access to high-quality furniture, appliances, electronics and computers for sale or as a lease-ownership arrangement.  Customers have the option of buying their merchandise for an attractive cash price or opting to lease their merchandise for even greater flexibility.  With a lease option, customers make modest monthly payments and have the immediate use of the items they need without waiting for credit checks or other delays.  Plus, Aaron's will take care of delivery, setup, repairs, and more for the duration of a customer's lease. 

The Aaron's concept has proven to be successful for half a century; in fact, the very first Aaron's location opened in Atlanta, Georgia, in 1955.  Aaron's is a leader in the sale and lease ownership of residential furniture, consumer electronics and home appliances, with more than 1,500 Company-operated and franchised stores in 48 states and Canada.  The Company also manufactures an exclusive line of furniture, bedding and accessories at 10 facilities in four states. 

For more information, please visit shopaarons.com. 

About Bill Elliott Racing:  In 2008, NASCAR legend Bill Elliott launched a Driver Development program as an extension of Bill Elliott Racing.  Based on the principles of teamwork, strong work ethic and positive attitudes, the program aims to guide young drivers through the highs and lows of life in auto racing and to make them leaders on and off the track. 

Drivers will climb through the ranks of asphalt racing, starting in the Legends Racing Series and move up to Pro Late Model stock cars – including the Georgia Asphalt Series (GAS) and ASA Racing – and onto Super Late Models in series such as the Champion Racing Association (CRA) Super Series.  From there they will progress to the ARCA RE/MAX and other series that are age and talent specific.  To encourage strong communication and clear feedback, drivers will also intermittently run dirt Late Models that reinforce car control and a thorough understanding of the feel of the car. 

Please visit www.BillElliott.com for more information on the Bill Elliott Racing team and sponsors.