Chase Elliott circles out the major factor behind Kansas's playoff disappointment

Following a disappointing start and slightly better finish at Kansas, Chase Elliott analyzed the factors behind his performance in the Round of 12. He pointed to pit road issues as a primary reason his car struggled to reach the front of the pack, despite having a competitive Chevy ready for the race.

In a conversation with NBC Sports motorsports journalist Dustin Long, Elliott shared his experience:

"We just had an uphill battle, it seemed like all day. I really thought our car was pretty good. We were able to move forward long ways I seemed like. Because we had a bad pit pick, ultimately it puts you in a bad position to lose spots on pit road. So, it seemed like we would get a bunch of spots and then lose a bunch of spots from from the pit road thing. We tried to claw back up, fall back up in the top-10. It was nice to atleast get that one."

During practice and qualifying on Saturday, Chase Elliott's #9 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 suffered from engine issues, resulting in the slowest lap time among all competitors with a speed of 166.95 mph, clocked at 32.345 seconds. As a result, he was compelled to start the race from the rear of the field in the 38th position.

Additionally, his #9 HMS team suffered from poor pit selection, which hampered his performance at Kansas. Despite these setbacks, Chase Elliott navigated through the field, finishing Stage 1 in 19th place and improving to 9th by the end of Stage 2. He maintained the position to finish the race in 9th place. From the Hollywood Casino 400 at Kansas Speedway, Elliott accrued 30 points, placing him 7th in the playoff standings with a four-point margin above the elimination line. However, among the Hendrick Motorsports drivers, he currently ranks last.

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Previewing Chase Elliott’s Round of 12

The opening race of the Round of 12 did not culminate in the finish Chase Elliott had hoped for, yet he was content given his starting position. The forthcoming races at Talladega Superspeedway and the Charlotte Motor Speedway road course, however, are expected to present more challenges.

Chase Elliott has a commendable track record at the Charlotte Roval, with an average finish of 8.2 over six starts. He has managed to win two races on the track and finished the remaining four races within the top 10. At Talladega Superspeedway, however, his average finish is 13.7 across seventeen starts. There, Elliott has captured two wins, one in 2019 and another in 2022, and has secured top-5 finishes in five races and top-10 finishes in eight.

During his last appearance at Talladega in April, after starting ninth, Elliott concluded the race in 15th position.