WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. — Pole winner Chase Elliott held off a dramatic cost from Ryan Blaney to win Sunday night time’s Cook dinner Out Conflict at Bowman Grey Stadium in entrance of a teeming, vociferous sellout crowd on the historic quarter-mile.
Adroitly working lapped visitors within the closing phases of the 200-lap season-opening exhibition race, Elliott crossed the end line 1.333 seconds forward of Blaney, who began final among the many 23 rivals on a driver factors provisional.
Elliott claimed his first victory within the Conflict, which got here to Bowman Grey after a three-year stint within the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. The motive force of the No. 9 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet reveled within the NASCAR Cup Collection’ return to the enduring brief observe after an absence of 54 years.
“This setting is particular,” mentioned Elliott, who led 171 laps, together with the primary 96 earlier than surrendering the result in eventual third-place finisher Denny Hamlin. “It is a place that has a deep historical past in NASCAR. I feel they deserve this occasion, honestly.
“I hope we didn’t disappoint. It was enjoyable for me a minimum of, and we’ll hopefully come again right here someday.”
Hamlin led twice for 28 laps, however light after Elliott retook the highest spot from him on Lap 126. And when Blaney slipped previous Hamlin’s Toyota on Lap 147, it turned a two-driver race.
However Blaney’s automobile tightened up within the late going, stopping the driving force of the No. 12 Staff Penske Ford from difficult for the win. Blaney thought higher of constructing a very aggressive transfer on the sequence’ seven-time hottest driver.
“I’m not going to bulldog into him and get chased out of right here with pitchforks,” Blaney quipped… “I simply didn’t fairly have sufficient proper rear on the finish to make a transfer on him.”
Joey Logano completed fourth, adopted by Bubba Wallace, who superior from his 14th-place beginning place. Ross Chastain, Austin Cindric, Tyler Reddick, Shane van Gisbergen and Chris Buescher accomplished the highest 10.
Hamlin rued the ultimate restart on Lap 121, after the seventh warning for Brad Keselowski’s spin off Wallace’s bumper.
“I simply didn’t do very effectively on that restart there, and form of misplaced the underside, and Chase took benefit of it,” Hamlin mentioned. “When you get the lead, it’s lots simpler to hold on to it.
“I assumed that they have been just a bit higher that second half than we have been, together with the 12 (Blaney) was as effectively. We simply must get a bit of bit higher, however general, a great day for our Sport Clips Toyota.”
Within the final likelihood qualifier that decided positions 21 and 22 in the primary occasion, Kyle Larson charged from the tenth beginning place and survived 9 cautions to win the 75-lap occasion and advance to the Conflict.
On Lap 72, Larson grabbed the lead from Josh Berry, who was making his first aggressive begin for Wooden Brothers Racing on the observe the place staff patriarch and NASCAR Corridor of Famer Glen Wooden secured all 4 of his Cup Collection victories.
Larson took the highest spot for the primary time on Lap 30 and led a race-high 36 circuits en path to the win. Nevertheless, Larson’s No. 5 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet sustained injury after he surrendered the result in Erik Jones for a restart on Lap 65.
In a melee moments after racing resumed, Jones spun in a three-wide mishap with Berry and Larson and dropped out of competition.
“My automobile was manner higher than it was yesterday,” mentioned Larson, whose eighth-place end in his Saturday warmth relegated him to the final likelihood qualifier. “That was enjoyable. I used to be capable of get to the entrance with out actually moving into too many individuals.
“However then after that lengthy break (for native champion Burt Myers onerous wreck on Lap 61), I cycled actually tight for that restart and allowed Erik to get in entrance of me and simply form of misplaced management of the race at that time. Then, the subsequent restart, it received loopy, and I received a bunch of harm.”
Berry, who began thirteenth, held second to safe the twenty second spot within the Conflict. Berry and Larson completed thirteenth and seventeenth, respectively, in the primary occasion.
“It received fairly tough,” Berry mentioned. “You hate that it involves that, however it’s what it’s—it’s the Madhouse, it’s Bowman Grey Stadium, it’s a good race observe, and also you’re going to run into one another.”
