The Beast of the South East lived up to its name as Chase Elliott and Trey Poole each struggled in round eight of the Summer Shootout Series at Lowe’s Motor Speedway...
The Beast of the South East lived up to its name as Chase Elliott and Trey Poole each struggled in round eight of the Summer Shootout Series at Lowe’s Motor Speedway. The Bill Elliott Racing driver development team made the trip from their home base in Dawsonville, GA, for the third week, only to battle poor handling and trouble on the track. Elliott finished third in his heat race but slipped back to eighth in the Bandits feature race. Poole posted a fifth pace finish in his heat, but a lap one incident led to a finish of 14th in the feature.
As has become tradition, Elliott drew a high number for the starting position draw, which placed him fifth out of ten cars on the starting grid for his heat race. But it didn’t take long for him to move forward in the No. 09 ABF Bandolero. On the first lap he gained one position, and the field rode around in single file with very little change in position. On lap seven, Elliott went low to pass one more car for a third place finish.
Upon returning to the garage, there was a scramble to replace the rear axle that was bent when Elliott brushed the wall in the heat race. The team just barely made the repairs in time for Elliott to join the field on the starting grid for the Fisher-Price Bandits feature race. The No. 9 ABF Bandolero took the green in sixth position and was inches out of fifth when the caution came out on lap three. From there, Elliott slipped back to seventh on lap seven and lost one more position on lap twelve. The handling on the ABF Bandolero was off, and Elliott couldn’t find a good line. Although it was not the finish the team was looking for, Elliott managed to capture his third top ten in three starts in the Summer Shootout Series.
“I just didn’t have a car that could win in the feature race,” Elliott said. “The ABF Bandolero was good during the heat race, but it was off after we replaced the axle. I’m disappointed, but I did everything I could. I have still qualified for the feature from the heat race and finished in the top ten every week, so this has been good experience for me. We’ll just head to Atlanta and hope for a better run there.”
Poole started the Pull-A-Part Legends Car Semi-Pro division heat race from the inside of the third row, in fifth position. He picked up one position on the first lap but the car behind him made contact with the No. 191 Aaron’s Dream Machine, moving Poole to the outside line and dropping him one position. Stuck on the outside, Poole fell back to seventh before he could move back inside. Once he joined the inside line, Poole picked up two positions in three laps to finish fifth and qualify for the Semi-Pro feature straight from the heat race for the first time in three starts.
The Aaron’s Dream Machine started the feature race on the outside of row ten in 20th position. Once again, Poole would be in the wrong place at the wrong time. Someone toward the front had a slow start, and the entire outside line checked up and scrambled to get started. Going into turn one on the first lap, Poole was tagged from behind and spun out. He rejoined the field in 27th position and quickly began moving through the field. On lap 15, Poole found himself in 14th preparing for a double file restart on lap. Another caution on lap 17 made it difficult for Poole get a good run. In the final three laps, Poole would trade positions and ultimately cross the finish line in 14th position.
“It was really frustrating out there tonight,” Poole said after climbing from the car. “The Aaron’s Dream Machine was much better than the finish shows. If I would have started on the inside, I probably would have avoided that mess on the first lap and not had to make up so much ground. Once I got on the inside in the heat race, I was able to pick up positions, so I know I had a good car. We’ll just go back to the shop and get the car ready for Atlanta this week. With only a few races left this season, I’m really hoping to find that first win.”
For more information about Chase Elliott and Trey Poole, including bio’s, blogs and photos, please visit billelliott.com.
Bill Elliott Racing is also supported by associate sponsors Georgia Automobile Racing Hall of Fame and the Dawsonville Pool Room.