Chase Elliott played it smart during last Sunday’s NASCAR Cup Series race at Circuit of the Americas. Within moments of seeing the tire come off Ross Chastain’s No. 1 car just ahead of him, Elliott made a split second decision to duck onto pit road for fresh rubber before the caution flag flew. The call proved to be a stroke of timing for the No. 9 driver.
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Elliott came as the first car on new tires for the restart, turning the race that had been slipping through his fingers into a charge toward the front. He climbed from outside the top 10 to finish inside it.
The moment unfolded after an incident involving Trackhouse Racing. During the race at Circuit of the Americas, the right rear wheel on Ross Chastain’s Chevrolet detached on Lap 75 under green flag conditions. NASCAR officials announced Tuesday that rear tire changer Kenneth Pozega and jackman Josh Appleby will be suspended for the next two NASCAR Cup Series events as a result.
Extremely heads up move from @chaseelliott choosing to pit on his own when he saw a car in front of him lose a wheel.
Within seconds of seeing the wheel he made a calculation in his head that it would likely be an advantage to pit and decided to enter pit lane on his own. pic.twitter.com/Ivode4rCyU
— Bozi Tatarevic (@BoziTatarevic) March 2, 2026
The team was also assessed a two lap penalty during the race, and Chastain finished 35th, two laps down. While the loose wheel sent Trackhouse scrambling, it ended up playing directly into Elliott’s hands and helped spark his late charge through the field.
Fans took note and took to X, with one writing, “Was at the 9 box yesterday, pretty badass watching them execute as soon as he made the call to come down pit lane.”
Was at the 9 box yesterday, pretty badass watching them execute as soon as he made the call to come down pit lane
— Joshua Abbe (@jabbe05) March 2, 2026
Another fan added, “And none of the podcasts I’ve listened to mentioned it. Big brain right there.”
And none of the podcasts I’ve listened to mentioned it. Big brain right there
— Ronnie Sparks I I (@RonnieSparksII1) March 3, 2026
Another showed his gratitude, “Thank you for covering this. Talk about perfect timing and positioning. Alan was even like “I didn’t know what was going on”.” One NASCAR fan stated, “That’s heads up racing at its finest.”
Thank you for covering this. Talk about perfect timing and positioning. Alan was even like “I didn’t know what was going on”.
— Matt (@MIracingfan) March 2, 2026
Elliott had qualified fifth for the event and battled handling issues in the opening stage, but still secured three stage points with a P8 finish. After a lengthy stop for adjustments during the stage break, he restarted deep in the field for Stage 2 and inched forward before taking the green-and-white checkered flag in P28.
In the final stage, the tide turned. Elliott’s early stop before the caution reshuffled the deck. As other teams pitted under yellow, he lined up 12th with 17 laps remaining. From there, he kept his nose clean and drove to seventh, and overall managed to salvage 33 points.
