Chase Elliott Admits He Has “Got to Step Up” Despite Solid New Hampshire Run

Hendrick Motorsports drivers had positive outings in New Hampshire, with Chase Elliott and William Byron making big strides. However, there is still room for improvement.

Byron carried the flag for the team on Sunday, registering a third-place finish. Elliott, meanwhile, clawed back from a 27th-place qualifying misstep to claim fifth. Kyle Larson, meanwhile, pocketed stage points in both segments before sliding to seventh in the closing laps.

The result marked the first time in a decade that HMS had three cars inside the top 10 at New Hampshire. And the drivers are gunning for more. Elliott compared the outing to the team’s performance at Gateway in the Round of 12, where he had finished third behind Denny Hamlin and Chase Briscoe.

After the race, the 2020 Cup Series champion stressed the need to raise the bar if they hope to go toe-to-toe with winner Ryan Blaney and Team Penske.

“Just hate I put us in those holes. It’s a great day for sure, to battle back up through there and call our way back up into the mix, but you hate to have to do that and hate to have to put yourself in those positions,” said Elliott, before praising his pit crew for digging deep after a stall.

Elliott also credited crew chief Alan Gustafson, whose quick calls kept them in the thick of the fight. He also pointed to the decision to stay out during green-flag stops in the final stage as the turning point that gave him key track position.

“Certainly, didn’t have anything for Ryan and those guys. Congrats to him, [he] did a great job. And [we] got to step up a little bit, I think, to catch them, but certainly competitive to the rest,” conceded Elliott.

All three HMS drivers remain above the cutline with Kansas and the Charlotte Roval left in the Round of 12. Byron, among all the HMS drivers, holds the biggest cushion at 47 points. Larson sits 41 clear of ninth, and Elliott stands seventh with a 14-point cushion.

About the author

Neha Dwivedi

Neha Dwivedi is an experienced NASCAR Journalist at The SportsRush, having penned over 5500 articles on the sport to date. She was a seasoned writer long before she got into the world of NASCAR. Although she loves to see Martin Truex Jr. and Kyle Busch win the races, she equally supports the emerging talents in the CARS Late Model and ARCA Menards Series.. For her work in NASCAR she has earned accolades from journalists like Susan Wade of The Athletic, as well as NASCAR drivers including Thad Moffit and Corey Lajoie. Her favorite moment from NASCAR was witnessing Kyle Busch and Martin Truex Jr. win the championship trophies. Outside the racetrack world, Neha immerses herself in the literary world, exploring both fiction and non-fiction.

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