With a masterful strategic call and a little luck, Chase Elliott scored his first NASCAR Xfinity Series win of the season in Saturday’s BetMGM 300 at Charlotte Motor Speedway.

Saving a fresh set of tires for the final run, Elliott grabbed the lead after a restart on lap 183 and never relinquished it, going on to beat Brandon Jones by 0.500 seconds.

“Greg (crew chief Greg Ives) made a good call, and I think ultimately that’s what won us the race,” said Elliott, who started 30th. “Hats off to everybody at Hendrick Motorsports. Super special to win with the 17 on the car for the boss (Rick Hendrick) and Linda.”

Elliott’s No. 17 Chevrolet sported a throwback paint scheme reminiscent of the late Ricky Hendrick’s famed ride. It was Elliott’s sixth career Xfinity victory but his first at Charlotte.

Jones overcame early brake issues to pressure Elliott late and finish second, followed by JR Motorsports teammates Sammy Smith in third and Sam Mayer in fourth.

The decisive moment came after the first caution when Elliott, Jesse Love, Anthony Alfredo and Kyle Sieg stayed out on old tires, saving a fresh set for later. Though Elliott fell back to 26th after pitting on lap 48, the fresh rubber helped him charge back toward the front.

Another opportune caution on lap 169 allowed Elliott to make his final pit stop for stickers, putting him in prime position after the restart on 183.

One by one, other top contenders fell by the wayside, including pole sitter Ty Gibbs crashing with Justin Allgaier after a late restart. Reigning series champion Cole Custer and current points leader Austin Hill also wrecked, taking them out of contention.

Elliott held off a hard-charging Jones over the final 17 laps to secure his first Charlotte Xfinity win and the sixth of his career in the series.

“Talk about an up-and-down day and coming back from it,” Jones said. “That was really fun to come from the back to the front I think three or four times.”

AJ Allmendinger finished fifth after making a late charge on slightly used tires. The Xfinity Series heads West to Portland next weekend.