At Risk of Missing Out on Playoffs, Chase Elliott Explains the “Had to Do Something Different” Aspect of P5 Sonoma Finish

Everyone was pretty eager to see just how well will Chase Elliott respond in terms of a finish at Sonoma after he was suspended by NASCAR for one race at Gateway last week. Elliott was given that suspension after he intentionally wrecked Denny Hamlin at Charlotte. So at Sonoma, the expectations were high for the #9 driver. And it seems like he delivered on them.

Of course, it was Martin Truex Jr. who ended up winning the race. But Elliott secured a P5 finish, the highest of any Hendrick driver. However, Elliott did claim that they could’ve had the perfect comeback, that they could’ve actually won the race if not for one thing.

Chase Elliott wonders if a different strategy would’ve led to a better result

Speaking in an interview post the race at Sonoma, Elliott claimed that his car, while it wasn’t as good as Martin Truex Jr. or Kyle Busch, was still “solid.” He then pointed to what they could’ve done differently to have an even better result.

“Felt like we had to do something different with the strategy, so we did. That put us in the position to really have to stay out at the end and, ultimately, I think it was the right call. I was just hoping more guys would do that,” he described. “There was a handful that were on our strategy before a few others, would’ve loved to see all of them stay, I mean I don’t know if it would’ve been enough to hold Martin (Truex Jr) off, but you get strung out there for a few laps you never know … nonetheless, didn’t work out.”

“To get a top five, I was pretty happy with that. A good day and I was proud of how we did there at the end. We were in a, not-so-ideal situation on tires with no buffer, I was able to hang on to 5th,” Elliott continued. “So yeah, just proud of how we finished.”

Chase Elliott was happy with the strategy and the execution of it with a fifth-place finish at Sonoma. pic.twitter.com/qUpI7ND0je

— Bob Pockrass (@bobpockrass) June 11, 2023

Elliott in a must-win position now to secure a playoff spot

Even though he’s had three top 5 finishes and a couple of top 10 finishes, Elliott has simply missed way too many races this season. Having missed 6 races this season because of his leg injury and then one race with the recent suspension, Chase Elliott is at risk of missing out on the playoffs.

Currently, the #9 driver sits in the 27th spot. With ten races to go in the season, Elliott will be hoping his playoff-securing win comes soon.

Because as of now, the way things are, he simply wouldn’t make the cut on points.