DOVER, Del. – Chase Elliott needs to do a better job.
Not of driving a race car, mind you. He needs to do a better job of enjoying his own accomplishments.
When he arrived in the media center after finishing a career-best third in Sunday’s AAA 400 at Dover International Speedway, Elliott seemed almost disappointed. After all, the Sunoco Rookie of the Year candidate hadn’t converted his first real opportunity to win a NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race.
Elliott was close. On Lap 381 of 400, during the final 35-lap green-flag run, he passed Kyle Larson for second and set his sights on leader and eventual race winner Matt Kenseth. Instead, Elliott lost second place to Larson three laps later and had to settle for third.
“Well, I hope I’m close,” Elliott said when asked if he felt his No. 24 Hendrick Motorsports team is on the verge of a victory at NASCAR’s highest level. “Doesn’t really matter what I say. Till you go get it done, it really is irrelevant.
“For me, I think I have a team that’s capable of doing it. The way I see today, we had our shot, we had a chance to do it today, (and) I didn’t do it. It’s as simple as that. Either you do or you don’t, and we haven’t yet…
“Had a lot of fun racing with those guys at the end there. Like I say, hate to not get the job done and be so close, but we’ll keep digging at it and try to get a little better.”
Source: NASCAR Wire Service
