Elliott, Poole bebut in Summer Shootout Series

Chase Elliott, Trey Poole and the Bill Elliott Racing team made the trek from their home base in Dawsonville, GA, to compete for the first time in the Summer Shootout Series at Lowe's Motor Speedway in Concord, NC, slightly altering their numbers to 09 and 191, as their numbers were already taken in this series. It was a test for the young drivers to use what they have learned racing in the Thursday Thunder Series at Atlanta Motor Speedway over the past six weeks, and both passed with flying colors, despite very different track conditions and a higher level of competition. Elliott kept his No. 09 ABF Bandolero in the top-ten all night and posted a solid sixth place finish, missing fourth by half of a car length, in the Fisher-Price Bandolero Bandits Division. In the No. 191 Aaron's Dream Machine, Poole drove through the field from a 26th starting place in the Pull-A-Part Semi-Pro Feature Race to post a strong 13th place finish.

Poole faced a competitive and experienced Semi-Pro field at Lowe's Motor Speedway. Starting from the fourth position, the Aaron's Dream Machine was once again on the outside. From the drop of the green, it was obvious that the inside line was the place to be, as those experienced on the track dove straight to the bottom. Poole found himself alone on the outside and drifted back to eighth. He finally managed to get a spot on the inside and started moving forward. Sitting in seventh with two laps to go, the car ahead of him got loose, and Poole was able to pick up one more position for a sixth place finish. With the large field at Lowe's, only the top five from each heat automatically qualify for the A Feature; Poole missed the cut by one position and had to race his way in during the B Feature later in the evening. In a crazy race filled with bumping and banging and too many cautions, Poole started the B Feature in sixth and avoided major trouble to finish fifth and easily secure a spot in the Semi-Pro A Feature.

After repairing a bent rear bumper on the Aaron's Dream Machine, Poole started from the back of the Semi-Pro A Feature in the 26th position. Deciding to hang out in the back and wait for things to settle down, Poole gained one position following an early caution. Restarting in 25th, two laps later another caution moved Poole up to 23rd. Riding around in the top-twenty, Poole was comfortable waiting for the field to settle down, but that would never happen. To avoid a spin in turn four, Poole dove to the inside. The spin did not bring out a caution, but the scramble following the incident caused a major wreck on the front stretch that warranted a red flag. With tires rolling through the infield and fluid spilled across the front stretch, the field parked while the clean up crew went to work. On the final restart, Poole found himself in fifteenth and was just trying to escape the wreck-fest without damage to the Aaron's Dream Machine. On the final lap, another spin in turn four gained Poole two more positions. He escaped the cautionfilled event with a lucky 13th place finish.

"Wow - what a race," said Poole, climbing from the Aaron's Dream Machine following the A Feature. "I was just trying to keep my car out of trouble and in shape to race back in Atlanta Thursday. Even with all of the mess, I didn't touch anybody and came out with no damage to the car. I had a great run coming down the backstretch, but the 148 came down into me - I don't think he knew I was there - and I lost my line. I probably could have picked up another two or three spots, but I got pushed back a little after that. This was a lot different than the Thunder Ring, but it was great to get some new experience. I'm looking forward to taking what I learned back to Atlanta and returning to Lowe's next week, hopefully for a smoother race!"

In the Bandits heat race, Elliott started from the outside of the second row and quickly dove to the inside line, following advice from Poole - his teammate and cousin. Elliott moved up to second and then settled into third position until the caution came out on lap five. On the restart, Elliott drove up to the inside of the second place car, but couldn't quite get ahead of him, crossing the finish line in the third position. The solid finish in the heat race automatically qualified Elliott for the night's A Feature race.

Elliott started the A Feature race from the eighth position, once again in the outside row. At the drop of the green flag, the inside row moved forward with the preferred line and Elliott fell to ninth place. At the first opportunity, Elliott dropped the ABF Bandolero to the inside line and the field eventually settled into single file. On lap six, three cars got tangled in turn four, directly in front of Elliott, and he steered to the left to avoid the mess. Taking the green in fifth, Elliott lost one position and found a comfortable ride in the sixth position, staying with the lead pack of cars. Following the final caution and a sprint to the checkers, Elliott crossed the finish line three-wide in sixth place, missing the fourth position by half of a car length.

"Racing here is a lot different than racing at Atlanta," said Elliott, comparing the two series. "The track here has wider turns, so you can pass more in the corners, but the track is a lot rougher. They also put a restrictor plate on the Bandoleros here, so I had to get used to the lower speeds. I had a lot of fun, though, and I'm glad I finished in the top-ten in my first race here with my ABF Bandolero. I've got a busy week, racing here, then in Atlanta Thursday and out in Colorado this weekend. But I'll take all the seat time I can get; I am having a great time!"

Poole and Elliott return to the Thursday Thunder Series at Atlanta Motor Speedway for practice Wednesday, followed by the seventh round of competition on Thursday, July 12. Hot laps begin at 5:00 pm, and the first heat race begins at approximately 5:50 pm.

The young drivers will also compete in the next (and final) four weeks of the Summer Shootout Series at Lowe's Motor Speedway. Gates open to the public at 5:00 pm, and the feature races run from 7:30 to 10:15 pm.

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.