Chase Elliott's Dover race performance shows promise with a strong stage win, despite a 6th place finish, highlighting team progress.

Chase Elliott and the No. 9 Hendrick Motorsports team knew from the jump that Sunday\\\"s NASCAR Cup Series race at Dover Motor Speedway was going to be contested one. Mother Nature at the \"Monster Mile\" certainly proved as such.

Ty Gibbs beat Tyler Reddick, and Ty Dillon beat John Hunter Nemechek to set the final for NASCAR's In-Season Tournament. Dillon was the 32nd and final seed in the bracket when it began in Atlanta and will have the chance to win $1 million if he beats Gibbs next week.

And, although the No. 9 did not lead every lap, after surviving a late challenge from the likes of Christopher Bell and Denny Hamlin, Elliott converted his pole into the stage win after 120 laps of action. Rounding out the top 10 were Chase Briscoe, Ty Gibbs, Kyle Busch, Joey Logano and Kyle Larson, who rose 15 spots during the opening stage.

Chase Elliott overtakes teammate William Byron for the regular-season points lead; here are other playoff story lines to watch this week.

SportsLine reveals its projected leaderboard for the 2025 AutoTrader EchoPark Automotive 400 and Round 4 of the NASCAR In-Season Challenge. Use it for NASCAR picks at sites like DraftKings, FanDuel and PrizePicks.