Chase Elliott, a seven-time recipient of NASCAR’s Most Popular Driver Award, will make a surprise return to the NASCAR Xfinity Series this weekend at Pocono Raceway.
The native of Dawsonville, Georgia, will return to the driver’s seat of Hendrick Motorsports’ entry in the second-tier series, driving the No. 17 HendrickCars.com Chevrolet in the Explore The Pocono Mountains 250.
Surprise! The No. 17 gets a familiar face with @chaseelliott pulling double duty at @poconoraceway. pic.twitter.com/lPDeRFzSMU
— Hendrick Motorsports (@TeamHendrick) June 16, 2025
In February, Hendrick Motorsports confirmed the 16-race schedule for the team’s NASCAR Xfinity Series program. That slate included runs for Kyle Larson, Chase Elliott, William Byron, Alex Bowman, and the team’s development driver, Corey Day.
Originally, Elliott was only scheduled to compete in April’s event at Darlington Raceway. Now, with this mid-season schedule addition, the 29-year-old driver will tackle the 2.5-mile triangle-shaped racetrack for the second time in the last three seasons.
The 2020 NASCAR Cup Series champion has put together an impeccable record in the NASCAR Xfinity Series in the sporadic starts he’s made in recent years, which includes top-four finishes in his last five starts, and top-10s in his last nine starts — which dates all the way back to Summer 2018.
Since Hendrick Motorsports revived its NASCAR Xfinity Series program in 2022, Elliott has gotten behind the wheel a total of four times. In those starts, the former Xfinity Series champion has finished third (Pocono 2023), first (Charlotte 2024), fourth (Darlington 2024), and second (Darlington 2025).
In nine NASCAR Xfinity Series starts this year, the Hendrick Motorsports No. 17 has recorded a pair of victories — Kyle Larson at Bristol and William Byron at Charlotte — and six top-five finishes. Corey Day, in his first three starts, has a best finish of 11th at Nashville.
Following Saturday’s event at Pocono Raceway, Hendrick Motorsports will bring the No. 17 HendrickCars.com Chevrolet on track for seven more events, with Corey Day driving at Sonoma, Iowa, Bristol, Charlotte’s ROVAL, Las Vegas, Martinsville, and Phoenix.
The Explore The Pocono Mountains 250 at Pocono Raceway will take place on Saturday, June 21 at 3:30 PM ET. Coverage of the event will take place on The CW, MRN, and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Channel 90.
