Chase Elliott won the NASCAR Cup Series race at Martinsville Speedway in Virginia on Sunday, earning his first victory of the season.
The win was also the first of the year for Concord-based Hendrick Motorsports, which now has 31 victories at the half-mile track.
Elliott said the timing of the win provided a boost heading into the series’ first off week.
“Just nice to kind of end this first stretch of the season going into the off week with the win,” Elliott said. “We still have a lot of room for improvement, but it’s a great way to cap off this first stretch and build a lot of momentum for the whole organization.”
The victory came 11 years to the day after Elliott made his first Cup Series start and moved him up to fourth in the standings.
Tyler Reddick continues to lead the overall standings with four wins this season.
The Cup Series takes the first of its two off weeks next weekend before returning to competition April 12 at Bristol Motor Speedway.
