Chase Elliott reveals his biggest weakness so far in the 2023 season

Chase Elliott hasn’t yet gotten back to his best after his return from injury.

Chase Elliott reveals his biggest weakness so far in the 2023 season

Chase Elliott (Credits: @SunocoRacing/Twitter)

Hendrick Motorsports’s Chase Elliott has found himself in a unique situation after halfway to the 2023 Cup regular season. The 2020 Cup champion missed six of the 13 races of the first half following a tibia injury after a snowboarding accident. He made his come back at Dover and since then has been among the most consistent drivers.

He is yet secure a victory lane visit and hasn’t been a strong competitor for wins since his comeback, while his teammate William Byron and Kyle Larson has been impressive. One of the major constraints of Elliott’s attempts for a victory is his qualifying pace. According to the former champion, he has been a bad qualifying form for over six months.

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“Well, stage points being one. And I think some of that comes with how you qualify. So yeah, qualifying has been really poor for me for probably six months or more. Unfortunately, that trend has continued. I think that’s the big one, for sure. That impacts your pit pick – your pit pick you to have to live with throughout the entire race,” said Elliott.

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Qualifying can make or break a race for the driver in the Cup series. Having the right pit slot helps them to propel forward in times of restarts. NASCAR’s most popular driver has the best team, and cars fielded for him in the Cup, and it’s all about him making the No:9 crew’s efforts worthwhile. He has 13 races left in the regular season to secure a playoff spot, while the dream of defending the regular season title is long gone.

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Chase Elliott admits that he needs to do better, given his team’s efforts

Chase Elliott credits @HMS
Chase Elliott (credits @HMS)

The Georgian native pointed out that his team has been solid with their execution on the shops and pitstop. He added that he has to step up his game. He has to find the missing pieces of the puzzle that will help them to secure wins once again and join his teammates, who are contenders in all the races.

“I think it’s really just on me to do a better job and make sure I’m giving those guys the information that they need to make our car better, and then ultimately to go put down a faster lap in qualifying. Just trying to fine tune all of those little pieces,” Elliott said.

“I think the pieces of the puzzle are there and our team has been performing really well in all of the areas that don’t necessarily pertain to me. So I’ve been super pleased with all of that and just trying to push and get a little better on my end to make sure I’m bringing my part to the table,” Elliott added.

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