Chase Elliott’s desperate hunt for a race win continues as strategy gamble didn’t pay off at Sonoma
Sonoma was only the third top-5 finish of Chase Elliott in 2023.
Follow Us
Chase Elliott (credits @HMS/Twitter)
The Sonoma Road Course race marked the 16 race of the 2023 NASCAR Cup season. The garage will take a one-week break before a scheduled return of the series at Nashville. Among the many top team drivers going into the mid-season break winless is Hendrick Motorsports’ s 2020 Cup championship-winning driver Chase Elliott.
The No:9 Chevy driver has missed several of the 16 races this season. Six of them were due to injury, and the latest one was due to a one-race suspension; this put him in a situation where he must win a race for the playoff spot. Being one of NASCAR’s best road course racers, he had his best opportunity last Sunday at Sonoma.
He was the race leader in the final restart after the front raw pitted. The No:9 team decides to take the gamble and not pit. But it took eventual race winner Martin Truex Jr. just four laps to score the win over him. It wasn’t all bad luck for Elliott, as he was able to finish the race inside the top 5, and considering he was outside the top 10 before the restart, it was a good finish.
“It’s nice to get a top-five, no doubt, so proud of that. We were trying to do something a little different with strategy. We had pit about six or eight laps there before that caution. We just felt like our only play was to stay out,” Elliott said.
“I was really hoping that more people would do that with us so we’d have three or four rows. It still probably wouldn’t have been enough, but I do think it would have been nicer to have a couple more rows and a buffer for those with tires,” Elliott added.
In case you missed it: Jenson Button makes a HUGE confession regarding Le Mans NASCAR entry, says he felt it was the ‘biggest mistake’ of his life
Chase Elliott wants to build upon Sonoma top 5, starting from Ally 400
Elliott pointed out that he and the No:9 team wants the momentum they have from the Top 5 on Sunday to help them secure better finishes starting from Nashville. He is hopeful that he will be able to be competitive soon.
“It was certainly a good fight for the No. 9 NAPA Chevy team. It was one of our better runs there in the last couple of races, so always good to finish strong. It wasn’t an ideal situation, so to kind of fight through it there and come home with a top-five is good. Looking forward to build on that and hopefully contend for a win before long,” Elliott said.
It’s not just Elliott that needs to get back into top form. His teammate Alex Bowman, who missed four races due to an injury, must also fight for the win. But unlike Elliott, Bowman can still make it to the playoffs in terms of points.
Discover more:
Stay Updated!
/techfirstnow/media/agency_attachments/kATjCXskQdJKkXN0OuqW.png)