‘Proud’ Chase Elliott “hates” the Homestead-Miami finish, turns the page to Martinsville

The Hendrick Motorsports #9, Chase Elliott, expressed his frustration recently about his performance in the Straight Talk Wireless 400. He took to social media to reflect on the race and show solidarity with his team after he finished 18th at Homestead-Miami.

Elliott has been chasing momentum in the 2025 NASCAR Cup Series but suffered a setback on Sunday after a pit road mishap. At the end of the second stage on Lap 172, his #9 Chevrolet ZL1 was found to be outside the single-file line while entering pit road. This led to a penalty as he dropped from his top-ten position, that he had held for most of the race, to restart the final stage at 30.

The penalty cost Elliott badly as he could only recover to finish 18th. Despite the disappointing result, he remained hopeful and showed belief in his crew to turn it back in the next race.

"Hate the way yesterday ended, but proud of our 9 group for sticking with it. Got our guys’ backs through it all. Martinsville next," Chase Elliott wrote on X.

Elliott's frustration was evident in his words as he rued his chances of getting a strong result on a day his Hendrick Motorsports teammates finished 1-2. Kyle Larson won the race ahead of Alex Bowman after going past him with seven laps remaining.

Chase Elliott chose to look forward at the short-track race, where he has a good track record. He has finished inside the top ten 12 times in his 19 starts and won it in his Championship season in 2020. The track is known to be more suited to favor driver skills over raw speed, creating a level paying field. He was runner-up at the speedway last year and will look to replicate that form next Sunday, on March 30.

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Chase Elliott’s Homestead woes amid Hendrick Motorsports’ strong 2025

(L-R) Chase Elliott, William Byron, Alex Bowman, and Kyle Larson share a laugh at the 1948 Club before Save Mart 350 - Source: Getty

While Chase Elliot failed to end on a high at Homestead-Miami, this is only his second finish outside the top 15 this season. Currently, all four Hendrick Motorsports drivers are in the top six of the Cup standings, with William Byron leading the pack with 244 points in first position. Larson is behind him at second with 208 points, and Bowman is right behind at third with 205 points.

After the race, Hendrick Motorsports Vice Chairman and former champion Jeff Gordon reflected on their strong start to the 2025 season.

"It really has been (a strong start). We've had a couple races where all four of the cars in the top eight or 10. It's a finicky sport because you want to get off to a good start, get into a good position and points, so that you're not on your heels and playing catch up. So, that part's really nice." (4:24 onwards)

Despite the success, Gordon chose to be cautious and focused on improving the cars and chasing more wins.

Chase Elliott's disappointing Straight Talk Wireless 400 result drops him two positions in the championship table to sixth with 181 points. He will look to redeem himself at Martinsville as the team keeps a consistent presence at the front of the field.