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.

SportsLine's Steven Taranto reveals his picks and NASCAR props for 2025 EchoPark Automotive 400 at Dover Motor Speedway, where Denny Hamlin, Kyle Larson, Ryan Blaney and William Byron are favorites

Two NASCAR teams will be racing without charters this weekend. Here's the latest on 23XI Racing and Front Row Motorsports' lawsuit vs. NASCAR.