PHOENIX, Ariz: There were times during Sunday’s NASCAR Cup Series Championship Race at Phoenix (Ariz.) Raceway that defending Cup champion Chase Elliott appeared on his way to his second consecutive championship, but a slow pit stop and a late-race encounter with the wall doomed any chances of history repeating itself.
For a majority of the first half of Sunday’s 312-lap race, Elliott had the stronger Hendrick Motorsports race car but as the race surged forward and the pressure was on to be at the right place at the right time, the complexion of the race changed.
A caution in the heart of Stage 3 threw Elliott out of the race lead and into the hands of Martin Truex Jr. and rival team Joe Gibbs Racing. Despite the best efforts, Elliott could not rebound back into the race lead as he stood trapped in third as the JGR duo of Truex and Denny Hamlin pulled away.
In his efforts to get back to the lead, Elliott’s No. 9 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet Camaro grazed the wall – causing minimal but crucial damage to his race car.
A caution for debris at Lap 282 threw Elliott and his No. 9 NAPA Auto Parts Chevrolet team back into the picture but a tick slower pit stop dropped Elliott from third to fourth.
Without the benefit of clean air and the same speed in his race car that he showcased earlier in the race, Elliott faded in the closing laps as his teammate Kyle Larson wheeled his No. 5 HendrickCars.com Chevrolet to his record 10th Cup win of the season and his first ever Cup championship.
After the race, Elliott felt that if the race had played out a little differently, he could have battling Larson for Hendrick Motorsports’ 14th Cup Series title.
“Maybe just the right set of circumstances,” explained Elliott when asked what more he needed. “I felt like our NAPA Chevy was really good, and I thought our team did a really good job preparing this week. I was really proud of our group.
“I thought we brought a really good car and did a lot of things that we were wanting it to do today, just didn’t work out, and the sequence of the way all that went certainly was unfortunate for us.
“But look, proud of our team, a lot to build on, and also congrats to Kyle (Larson) and Cliff (Daniels). What an amazing season. Very, very deserving champions, and glad to see Kyle have success.”
Even though Elliott didn’t walk away with his second Cup championship, he tried to put his season and young Cup career into perspective learning the lessons from his championship season a year ago.
“Some of those really tough days I thought prepared us to be able to come here and have a shot to win last year,” added Elliott. “Those tough losses teach you good lessons. I felt like our team came into the last couple years here with a really good mindset and were mentally strong enough to go and compete for the win. That’s really all you can ask for.”
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