Elliott, who was absent from multiple races earlier this season because of an injury and a one-race suspension, was in seventh place during Sunday’s race when his rear tire deflated. As a result, he spun out and collided with the wall at Turn 2.
Elliott’s No. 9 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet suffered such severe damage that it forced him to retire from the race, resulting in a 36th-place finish.
Elliott, who is 27 years old, still had a chance to qualify for the 16-driver playoffs based on points before the weekend. However, he required a series of impressive performances in the last four races of the regular season to achieve this.
That path became all-but eliminated with Sunday’s incident.
“I strongly dislike that it occurred. It’s quite early in the day for a tire to suddenly burst like that, it’s truly strange,” expressed Elliott. “It’s disappointing, though not unexpected.”
Chase Elliott, Hendrick Motorsports, NAPA Auto Parts Chevrolet Camaro
Photo by: David Rosenblum / NKP / Motorsport Images
Elliott chose to stay on the track instead of pitting for new tires during the first caution, but he didn’t think that decision caused the problem.
“No, not at all,” Elliott replied when questioned about any prior notice. “Clearly, we chose to remain on the track during the initial caution, but I didn’t perceive myself as exerting excessive force.”
“Regrettably, that is not possible. Simply include it in the existing list.”
Elliott stated that his playoff scenario remained unchanged from what he initially believed upon recovering from his injury, which was the necessity of winning.
“I informed all of you that upon my return, during that week,” he stated.
Elliott has promising tracks ahead at Watkins Glen, Indy, and Daytona’s superspeedway. These could be the venues where he secures his first victory of the year and secures a spot in the playoffs.
Leave a Reply