NASCAR fan favorite Chase Elliott suspects flat underwing is the main culprit in superspeedway flips

Hendrick Motorsports driver Chase Elliott has weighed in on what he believes causes cars to flip on superspeedway tracks in the NextGen era. The driver of the #9 believes it has to do with the flat underwing on the cars that causes them to launch into the air.

Since the debut of the NextGen car in 2022, NASCAR has seen its fair share of flips at superspeedways. A few of the most recent examples include (earlier this year), Ryan Preece's #60 machine launched into the air and barrel rolled down the backstretch at Daytona. Last year, Corey LaJoie's #7 car got up on the side of the outside retaining wall and slid across the start/finish line on the final lap at Talladega.

When speaking to FOX Motorsports reporter Bob Pockrass, Elliott was asked how the NextGen car could be improved to prevent flips. The seven-time Most Popular Driver award winner said he's not an expert in that aspect and isn't sure what the solution could be. However, Elliott theorized that the flat underwing on the NextGen car could be the key factor in cars flipping over.

"I'm sure there's always improvements we can make. I'm certainly not an expert in that area to know exactly what that is or isn't. I think the big flat piece that is bolted to the bottom of the car, when it sees wind, it tends to act as a flat sheet. That I think is going to be a tough thing to navigate regardless. Again, not an expert. I'm not going to act like I'm an expert or understand or know what the fix is," Chase Elliott said. (0:03 onwards)

Chase Elliott qualified 30th for Sunday's Jack Link's 500 at Talladega. The 2020 Cup Series champion is a two-time winner at the 2.66-mile superspeedway, last winning at the track in October 2022. Elliott is still seeking his first victory of the 2025 season on Sunday.

Chase Elliott took a 'quick trip' to New York City ahead of the Talladega Cup race

Earlier this week, Chase Elliott took a trip around New York City ahead of Sunday's NASCAR Cup Series race at Talladega. During his trip, the driver of the #9 Hendrick Motorsports made a few appearances for interviews on networks such as FOX News and MLB Network.

Elliott took to Instagram to share photos from his time in "The Big Apple." His caption read:

"Quick trip to NYC before we hit the road to ‘Dega🗽"

Chase Elliott is in his 10th full-time season in the NASCAR Cup Series and has spent every season with HMS. He's won 19 career Cup races and was the champion in 2020. Aside from 2023, Elliott has made the playoffs in every season of his Cup career.