Chase Elliott is DEVASTATED as he missed out on playoff for the first time in his Cup career
Chase Elliott had the most disappointing Cup season of his career in 2023.
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Chase Elliott (Via IMAGO)
Hendrick Motorsports driver Chase Elliott’s 2023 season has been full of nightmares. He failed to make it to the Cup playoff for the first time in his career. Elliott was one of the 17 drivers who needed a win to secure a playoff spot on Saturday. But he couldn’t secure the win, and following Chris Buescher’s 23XI Racing driver, Bubba Wallace made it on points.
Elliott wasn’t the only HMS driver to miss out on last-16 this season, as his teammate Alex Bowman suffered the same fate. Both drivers have previously never missed out on the last 16 while racing for Rick Hendrick’s team. Amidst the disappointment, he got the No:9 team to the Constructors championship playoffs.
While talking about the disappointment, Elliott pointed out that he hated the result for the team and himself. He added that despite all this, he is motivated to perform in the coming ten playoff races, using it as an opportunity for 2024 and score a better finish for the No:9 team’s shot at the constructor’s title chase, which has its perks.
“It certainly isn’t ideal for me, but I look at these next ten weeks as an opportunity to get better and try to be prepared well for next year. I hate it, I hate the way that this worked out. I can’t change it now. We’ve been trying to fight through it, and we came up short. That’s life sometimes,” Elliott told Frontstretch.com.
“Look it sucks, no question. Glad the car got in, it’s a big deal. Testament to Alan [Gustafson] and our team for continuing to fight while I was gone. There’s a lot of opportunity on that side of things, and it’s a really big deal. Would like to go and make some noise on that front,” Elliott added.
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Non-NASCAR adventures cost Alex Bowman and Chase Elliott in 2023
One of the prime factors behind the HMS duo’s exit without securing the playoffs is their missing out on seven races due to injuries they suffered from their non-NASCAR adventures. The duo missed ten combined races, which was more than enough to hurt them.
Chase Elliott was sidelined for seven races due to a tibia injury and suspension. It was due to an accident that occurred while he was snowboarding. He sat out the six races starting from the third race of the season and had to sit out one more race following an incident with Denny Hamlin.
Alex Bowman fractured his back while racing his teammate Kyle Larson’s sprint car series. His car flipped and landed upside down. He missed three-point paying cup races and the All-Star race at North Wilkesboro.
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Justin P Joy
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