Chase Elliott looking for first win of the season

Jun 19, 2015 - 6:36 PM Joliet, IL (SportsNetwork.com) - Defending Xfinity Series champion Chase Elliott is hoping his second-place finish last weekend at Michigan International Speedway will give him the momentum he needs to win Saturday night's race at Chicagoland Speedway.

When the series ran its "stand-alone" race at Chicagoland last July, Elliott scored his third victory during his rookie season. He has not won an event since. His winless drought in the series now stands at 28 races.

Elliott finished 10th in the most recent Xfinity event at Chicagoland in September. The Sprint Cup Series competed there on the same weekend.

In the July race here, Elliott led 85 of the 200 laps, including the final 24. His victory allowed him to reclaim the lead in the point standings. Elliott stayed atop the rankings for the remainder of the 2014 season, as he became the youngest driver ever to win a championship in any one of NASCAR's three national touring series, doing so at age 18.

"We had some success (at Chicagoland) in July, which really gives me a confidence boost heading into the weekend," Elliott said. "I was able to pick up on a few tips through two races there last season that I can use to my advantage Saturday night."

Elliott, the driver of the No. 9 NAPA-sponsored Chevrolet for JR Motorsports, is currently third in Xfinity points. He is 35 points behind leader Chris Buescher, who already has two wins this season.

At Michigan, Elliott held the lead late in the race, but Kyle Busch passed him for the top position with four laps to go. Busch beat Elliott to the finish line by a half-second for his record-extending 71st career win in the series.

Elliott has finished in the runner-up spot twice this season. He placed second in the May 17 race at Iowa after leading the most laps there with 114.

"We are in this for the long haul and understand it's a lengthy season," he said. "My NAPA team and I are committed to getting better each time we go out and race. Last weekend in Michigan, we found success but came up just a bit short to Kyle."

Series: NASCAR Xfinity. Date: Saturday, June 20. Race: Owens Corning AttiCat 300. Site: Chicagoland Speedway. Track: 1.5-mile oval. Start time: 9:30 p.m. ET. Laps: 200. Miles: 300. 2014 Winner: Chase Elliott. Television: FOX Sports 1. Radio: Motor Racing Network (MRN)/SIRIUS NASCAR Radio.