Amid Disappointing NASCAR Season, Chase Elliott Misses Out on $30,000 Prize Money at Berlin

Chase Elliott just can’t seem to win a race this season. It’s not only NASCAR but anywhere the Hendrick Motorsports has been racing this season, the best he can do is come home in second place. It just feels like on-track success has been constantly eluding the Dawsonville native.

After having raced at Berlin Raceway recently, all Elliott hoped for was to win the event and bring home the $30,000 prize money. That would have motivated him for the next three Cup Series races, perhaps in the way. But Elliott could only manage to finish behind Bubba Pollard in the Super Late Model racing event.

Following the event, Elliott spoke with the press and shared his thoughts on what went down during the race. He also took the time to congratulate the winner of the event as the celebratory firecrackers went off in the distance.

Chase Elliott talks about his interesting finish in Super Late Model Racing

Elliott mentioned in a post-race interview, “I think I just got too tight when the sun went down. But it was a lot better than we’ve been. So that was good. Bubba (Pollard) did a great job as always, so congrats to him. Kinda cool, you know, couple of Georgia guys came up here, have a good night so never ever too bummed about that…”

Chase Elliott is really satisfied with a second place to Bubba Pollard because they have methodically made their car better all year in his return to Super Late Model racing pic.twitter.com/YBPeskFIcg

— Matt Weaver (@MattWeaverRA) August 10, 2023

“I feel like we have actually made some gains tonight, so that was fun… Our car driving a little differently than it has been driving at other races. So I feel like that, there’s hopefully a little bit of progress. I’m not sure when my next one would be or whatever…”

Talking about if he missed the final caution, Elliott added, “I thought it was going green to the end. Apparently, I can’t do the math. I don’t know that it would have mattered. At the end of the day, Bubba was riding. He was pacing himself and catching the leader.”

“I was not ten-tenths, but I certainly wasn’t pacing myself like he was at that point in time. So yeah, we need to be just a little bit better. I don’t think that was a difference in the wind or not, but it was progress, so I am happy about that.”

Former Berlin Raceway race winner William Byron and others race at Berlin

Elliott was not the only NASCAR driver who had come down to race at the iconic Super Late Model event. In fact, there had been others too. Drivers such as Josh Berry, who replaced Elliott in the Cup Series during his absence and will join SHR next season, also raced in the event.

Furthermore, William Byron, who previously won at the Battle of Berlin event, also made a return to the event this year. Lastly, Legacy Motor Club driver Erik Jones also made an appearance at the race.

Ahead of the event, Byron had the chance to speak with the media, where he stated, “I honestly really like this racetrack. It’s really technical… I always enjoy coming back. I think that we had good success here last year, we won the first race, money in the bank. The second race was a bit of a struggle, but I think this year should be a lot better.”

Unfortunately, it didn’t get much better this year for Byron, he ended up finishing the race in seventh place, well behind his HMS counterpart Chase Elliott and future SHR driver Josh Berry both of whom finished in 2nd and fourth, respectively.

About the author

Srijan Mandal

Srijan Mandal is the Lead NASCAR Editor and Strategist at The Sportsrush with a wealth of experience and expertise in the world of motorsports. With several thousand articles under his belt over the years, he has established himself as a leading authority on all things racing. His passion for motorsports started at a young age, and he has dedicated his career to covering the sport in all its forms. He is an expert in various disciplines, including stock car racing, American motorsports, Formula 1, IndyCar, NHRA, MotoGP, WRC, WEC, and several more. But Srijan's love for racing goes beyond his writing. He actively competes in professional open-wheel sim racing, using '88' as his racing number. While he mostly participates in GT Endurance classes, he also ventures into Stock Car racing from time to time. In case, you wish to contact Srijan, kindly send an email to him at [email protected] or just DM him on Twitter.

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