Chase Elliott opens up on his epic comeback to finish inside top 5 at COTA despite first lap incident with Ross Chastain

Chase Elliott fought back from an early setback to secure a fourth-place finish at the Circuit of the Americas (COTA). After being spun by Ross Chastain on the first lap, Elliott and his team worked through adversity to recover and finish strong.

Elliott, driving the No. 9 Chevrolet, started in third place and was positioned well for the race. However, as the field entered the first turn, Chastain’s aggressive move sent Elliott spinning, dropping him to the back of the pack. The impact caused a left rear toe-link issue, further complicating his race.

For most of the first and second stages, Chase Elliott struggled outside the top-25. His team focused on repairing the car, making slow progress. Early in the third stage, Elliott had broken into the top 20, but he still needed a strategy shift to improve his chances.

Crew chief Alan Gustafson made an important call during the final caution, opting to pit for fresh tires while running inside the top-20. This decision set Elliott up for a late charge. With 13 laps remaining, he surged from 23rd to fourth. Reiterating the approach behind his top-five finish, Elliott told PRN,

"We were rolling up there really good at the end. Obviously, when you have a good car, you'd like to be in the fight, but it was a great recovery for where we were at at the end of the second stage."

Chase Elliott, who currently drives the No. 9 Chevrolet ZL1 for the Hendrick Motorsports team, is currently 10th in the driver standings with 56 points to his credit. He currently has an average start of 13 and an average finish of 17.5 as per the 2 NASCAR Cup Series races in the 2025 season.

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Chase Elliott’s reaction to first-lap clash with Ross Chastain

During the race, Chase Elliott was visibly frustrated after being spun by Ross Chastain. On his team radio, he asked for clarity on the incident, inquiring if he had done anything wrong. Crew chief Alan Gustafson reassured him that he was not at fault, responding by saying,

"You didn’t do anything wrong, just stupidity."

Once Elliott gained clarity on the situation, he told Gustafson that before taking a certain course of action he wanted to be sure he wasn’t the one at fault. In his own words,

"No, that’s totally fine. I’ll do what I need to do. But I just need to make sure I wasn’t in the wrong before I do it."

After this, Gustafson was the one who was more vocal about his frustration. Hinting at making a move in the race following the incident, he told Elliott,

"We’re gonna have to pay that sh*t back because I’m over people like that constantly doing dumb sh*t. When we get a chance to send him, we’re sending that #1 car."

FOX NASCAR commentators Jamie Little and Kevin Harvick also reacted to the incident. Little pointed out Chastain’s dive-bomb move, while Harvick criticized the reckless approach.

"You have to protect yourself in turn one, and Ross Chastain just went for a dive bomb move right there and just wiped out Chase Elliott."

Despite the setback, Chase Elliott maintained his focus and climbed the order. He finished Stage One in fifth place and ultimately ended the race with a fourth-place finish. Meanwhile, Chastain received a pass-through penalty for a separate infraction when his crew sent a team member over the wall too soon.