Chase Elliott struggles at Homestead Miami as teammate Alex Bowman clinches pole position

Chase Elliott came short of a top-10 starting position at Homestead-Miami Speedway. He qualified 18th, the worst starting position among the Hendrick Motorsports drivers, with teammate Alex Bowman securing the pole position.

Driving the No. 9 Chevrolet Camaro, Chase Elliott posted his best lap time of 32.331 seconds, 0.349 seconds behind Alex Bowman (48). William Byron (24) qualified fifth around the 1.5-mile oval track, while Kyle Larson (5) was good for 14th.

Hendrick Motorsports shared the starting positions of its four-car lineup for Sunday on Instagram.

Hendrick Motorsports' starting positions for the Homestead-Miami race - Source: @teamhendrick on Instagram

Chase Elliott's 18th starting position isn't his worst qualifying effort in the 2025 NASCAR Cup Series season. That came in the Atlanta spring race when the Dawsonville native started 19th. He eventually finished 20th, his worst race result yet.

If the Hendrick Motorsports drivers finish within the top 10 this Sunday, they will extend their top-10 finish for the fourth consecutive week. Elliott crossed the line 10th in the last two races held at Phoenix Raceway and Las Vegas Motor Speedway and finished 4th at COTA.

Chase Elliott driving the No. 9 Chevrolet Camaro at Las Vegas Motor Speedway - Source: Imagn

The Straight Talk Wireless 400 at Homestead-Miami Speedway will start at 3:00 p.m. ET on FS1.

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"I don't care": Chase Elliott on NASCAR's option tire dilemma

Chase Elliott shared his thoughts on NASCAR running an option tire for the entire season. The 2020 NASCAR champion said he would go with the flow considering complaints are likely to arise when changes are implemented.

The option tire debate came to light ahead of the Martinsville Speedway race, the first short track stop of the year. The alternative rubber provides more speed but wears faster, which makes up for critical tire strategies.

In an interview with NASCAR Insider Dalton Hopkins, Elliott said (via X):

"I don't care. I'm good with whatever they want it to, man. Again, super easy thing to say, and we'll do that, and somebody will have something to complain about after that. So you'll never make everybody happy, so just from my perspective, I think just making the most of what you got." [0:57]

He added:

"Somebody's going to win, and the rest of everybody else is going to lose, and there'll be people pissed off about something, so just do your best."

The Cook Out 400 at Martinsville Speedway will take place the week after the Homestead-Miami stop on Sunday.