Chase Elliott reveals Hendrick Motorsports still have ‘some work to do’ despite finishing second at Auto Club Speedway

Chase Elliott finished P2 at Auto Club Speedway in the Pala Casino 400, making it his best result at the course before it is redesigned. Kyle Busch won the 200-lap Pala Casino 400 on Sunday, the penultimate race of the NASCAR Cup Series' February schedule. It was his 19th season with at least one victory, beating Richard Petty's all-time record.

Busch described his sixth victory at the track as "phenomenal," as he crossed the finish line ahead of Chase Elliott, Ross Chastain, Daniel Suarez, and Kevin Harvick.

When the third and final stage began, a three-wide struggle involving Logano, Suárez, and Chase Elliott was formed. With 50 laps remaining, the leaders were pushing hard for any small advantage. With 20 laps remaining, Busch seized the lead after starting in 21st place. With fewer than 10 laps remaining, Elliott challenged Busch for the lead, but Busch eventually won.

Chase Elliott won five races last year and advanced to the playoff championship round, but he struggled late in the season on intermediate tracks, finishing 21st in Las Vegas and 14th at Homestead.

After a second-place result on Sunday, he wouldn't say he has bounced back but can afford a laugh about it.

During the post-race interview, Chase Elliott shared his thoughts on the race and winning second place. He said:

"I was definitely proud of our whole group for sticking together. We definitely ran poorly those last couple of months. ... I felt like we played more defense than we were on offense."

He then continued:

"Obviously I think we still have some work to do, but it was really nice to just see a lot of that hard work pay off and have the car driving like we were wanting it to do. So that's always a good thing. Appreciate everybody's effort, everybody at Hendrick Motorsports and Chevrolet."

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Kyle Larson feels that his relationship with Chase Elliott is on the mend

Last year's race at Fontana saw an incident between Hendrick Motorsports teammates Chase Elliott and Kyle Larson while jockeying for position. With 21 laps remaining, Larson pushed Elliott into the wall as the pair went three-wide with Joey Logano down the front stretch.

The event helped Larson win the race, but it did generate animosity between the two teammates. According to Larson, despite the fact that the incident occurred over a year ago, the harsh emotions between the two drivers have dissipated.

During the Daytona 500 media day, Larson addressed this animosity. He said:

“I think Fontana was easier to get over for him because it was the first time something happened, I think Watkins Glen was tougher to get over because it happened a second time. But I think since then — I mean, it took weeks, I would say, to get moved on from it. But I feel like we’re in a good, an OK spot right now.”

After Fontana, the duo had an altercation at Watkins Glen in August of last year, which Larson acknowledged he did on purpose.