At Richmond, Chase Elliott scores first top 10 since May 

Chase Elliott is NASCAR's most popular driver, but he's been far from its most productive over the last two-and-a-half months. 

Going into Saturday's Cook Out 400 at Richmond, Elliott hadn't scored a top 10 finish since Nashville on May 31. That changed on Saturday night, as Elliott led the way for Hendrick Motorsports and Chevrolet with a fifth-place finish. 

Chase Elliott gets off the schneid with Richmond top five

It's Elliott's ninth top 10 of the season and his third top five of the year. It's also Elliott's first top five that wasn't also a victory and his first since he won at Texas on May 3. 

Elliott is tied with Christopher Bell for sixth in the series standings going into the Aug. 23 race at New Hampshire Motor Speedway and is very much in the mix to stay inside the top six and be in a coveted position to begin the Chase. He had fallen from fourth to sixth in points over the last nine races. 

Saturday's top-five run was much needed for the No. 9 team, which was in desperate need of momentum going into the Chase. Elliott's two early-season victories appeared to put the 2020 champion on a collision course with championship contention, though those prospects waned over the last 10 weeks as he struggled to find speed.