Chase Elliott racing the No. 9 Hendrick Motorsports NAPA Auto Parts Chevrolet Camaro in the Straight Talk Wireless 400 at Homestead Miami Speedway on Sunday, October 27, 2024. (Photo: Ricky Martinez | The Podium Finish)
HOMESTEAD, Fla. – NASCAR’s Most Popular Driver knows what it takes to win a Cup Series championship. Unfortunately for Chase Elliott, he lacked the handling he needed in his No. 9 NAPA Auto Parts Chevrolet Camaro at the end of Sunday’s Straight Talk Wireless 400 at Homestead Miami Speedway.
A much-needed victory was within reach for Elliott in the last 10 laps of the race when he took to the bottom for the lead and lost grip going three-wide. He fought a tight car until the checkered flag waved.
“I just got tighter and tighter as the day went on,” Elliott said post-race. “I was just trying to manage that on the front side of a run, and ultimately, I just didn’t do a great job of managing it. When the pace got quicker and everyone started pushing, I didn’t really have anything left to push.
“Got a little behind or I was missing something there [in the] latter part of the race. But man, it was close, really close to being great.”
Chase Elliott coming off pit road to start the Straight Talk Wireless 400 at Homestead Miami Speedway. (Photo: Ricky Martinez | The Podium Finish)
Elliott kicked off the weekend lacking speed in practice, but he quickly turned around and redeemed himself with a solid seventh place qualifying run on Saturday. Fireworks ensued right off the bat on Sunday as Elliott narrowly avoided colliding with Justin Haley as he spun in Turn 3 on Lap 1. The close call did not set Elliott back very far though, as he worked his way up to third by the end of Stage 1.
The No. 9 Hendrick Motorsports team was consistent all day long. Quick pit stops, a fast car and a patient, but determined driver set the stage for a memorable day at Homestead.
“Nice to be up there in contention, leading laps and actually kinda being a part of the ballgame,” Elliott told NASCAR’s Alex Weaver. “That was fun. Pit crew did a great job on pit road. I thought, top-to-bottom, it was a really well-rounded day.”
Despite not winning a stage, Elliott hovered in the top five for the majority of the race and led a career-best 81 laps. He also nabbed a race-best 17 stage points. Unfortunately, many of his playoff competitors also had good days. Denny Hamlin won Stage 2 and finished third, while Tyler Reddick took the victory, locking in his spot in the Round of 4.
Chase Elliott preparing for practice at Homestead Miami Speedway on Saturday, October 26, 2024. (Photo: Ricky Martinez | The Podium Finish)
Heading into the final race in the Round of 8 at Martinsville Speedway, Elliott sits at the bottom of the playoff standings, 43 points below the cutline. He is now in a must-win situation in order to continue the quest for his second Cup Series championship. After a less-than-stellar day, fellow Hendrick Motorsports teammate Kyle Larson also sits below the cutline.
“I’m excited for Martinsville. It should be a good opportunity for us.”
Elliott won at Martinsville back in 2020 and has numerous top-10 finishes at the historic ½-mile oval. Next to a road course, this short track is Elliott’s next best opportunity to pull off a “Hail Mary” and make it into the Round of 4.
When asked how confident he was going into Martinsville in an all-or-nothing situation, Elliott was quick to answer with a short, but reassuring response.
“Very confident.”
Tune into the final race in the Round of 8 on Sunday, November 3 at 2:00 PM on NBC.
