DAWSONVILLE, Ga. (September 14, 2009) - Chase Elliott lived out the old racing adage that it's easier to catch someone than it is to pass him during Saturday night's 2nd annual James Garrison Memorial 100 at Lanier National Speedway (Braselton, Ga.).  Thirteen-year-old Elliott raced his Bill Elliott Racing teammate Casey Roderick for second place most of the night, including a tight, side-by-side battle during the final ten laps that ended with Roderick edging ahead of the No. 9 Aaron's Dream Machine at the finish line. 

The third place finish was Elliott's fourth consecutive top-three at Lanier (the race, co-promoted by the Georgia Asphalt Series and the ASA Southeast Asphalt Tour, was a non-points event for each series).

"We are just going to have to get better overall," Elliott said.  "I needed to be able to race a higher line but the car wouldn't stick up there tonight.  My only shot to race Shane (Sawyer) was when I passed Casey (Roderick) for second but then Casey got into a lap car and the caution came out and they put me back to third. I had patiently worked on that pass for a long time and was never able to make it again."

Elliott noted after last weekend's Georgia Asphalt Series race that he wanted to work on his qualifying efforts at Lanier.  It appears the work paid off as Elliott earned his second career Late Model pole and first at Lanier by outrunning Late Model hotshots Paul Kelley, Jeff Choquette and Jason Hogan to put the No. 9 Aaron's Dream Machine atop the leader board with a lap of 13.936 seconds.  The die landed on "four" when Elliott rolled to determine the field inversion, moving Elliott back to fourth as he relinquished the front row to Sawyer and Roderick.

The Aaron's Dream Machine lined up outside of Kelley's No. 23 machine in the second row for the start of the James Garrison Memorial 100.  As the 24-car field took the green flag, Elliott had the advantage over Kelley and was able to move into third as the front of the field lined up single file.

Following the first caution on lap 8, Kelley had the advantage as he restarted on the outside and was able to reclaim third, pushing Elliott back to fourth again.  During the shuffle for position, the No. 24h of Austin Hill put some pressure on Elliott for fourth, but Elliott was able to maintain his rhythm and defend his position.

Elliott continued to trail Kelley's No. 23 through back-to-back cautions on laps 20 and 21.  But following the restart for the lap 36 caution, Elliott used his position on the outside to his advantage as he and Kelley raced side-by-side.  Elliott, who showed strength on the outside all night, muscled around Kelley and up to teammate Roderick's rear bumper to put himself solidly in third position.

At the halfway mark, Sawyer led the field by five car-lengths while Roderick and Elliott raced for second ahead of Kelley and Hill to round out the top five.

Elliott worked over Roderick's No. 19 Ford, looking inside and outside, while the race continued under green.  After 47 laps of racing Roderick, Elliott, with help from his spotter, dad Bill Elliott, set up the No. 19 for the pass and was able to get around him on lap 84.  On the same lap, Roderick got into the back of lapped car Rodney Benefield and brought out the fifth and final caution.  Once the dust settled, the official race scoring had Roderick in second, Elliott in third. 

On the final restart, Elliott held off Kelley's No. 23, who had the preferred line on the outside, to maintain third place. 

During the final ten laps, Elliott and his teammate Roderick played out an epic on-track battle as the two young guns raced side-by-side for second.  Elliott drove hard on the inside of the No. 19, and the two traded paint around their home track.  But Roderick, with the advantage on the outside, was able to hold off the pressure from the Aaron's Dream Machine.

Elliott's hard fought third-place finish is the youngster's fourth straight top-three at Lanier, where he has established an impressive average finish of 4.0 in nine starts during his rookie season.

Earlier in the night, Elliott visited Victory Lane at Lanier in the No. 9 Aaron's Dream Machine Legends car.  Elliott took the lead on lap four of the 20-lap Young Lions feature and kept the No. 9 out front of the 17-car field to claim the win.  Elliott hopes to be able to compete in the 2009 Legends Nationals at Lanier next month but has to wait for the official schedule to be released before the team can confirm.

For the most up-to-date Chase Elliott news, including his racing schedule and weekly podcast, please visit www.ChaseElliott.com.

Be sure to vote for Chase Elliott in the 2009 Late Model Most Popular Driver Award presented by Aluminum Racing Products. You can vote daily now through December 6th.