Chase Elliott Branded ‘His Own Worst Enemy’ as Broadcaster Issues Grim Playoff Verdict to Rick Hendrick

Hendrick Motorsports has not had the playoff start that they hoped for this year. Darlington was a disaster for the team, with none of them finishing above Chase Elliott’s 17th. And though Gateway was some relief, where once again Elliott finished highest in the team, coming 2nd, the Bristol race turned into one that he would love to forget.

Chase Elliott couldn’t finish the race as he got caught up in a chain reaction on Lap 311 involving John Hunter Nemechek’s Toyota. Luckily, he still qualifies for the next round, sitting at 7ththanks to his accumulated playoff points. But recent insight from experts tell us how Elliott might have sabotaged his own run at Bristol, making his upcoming playoff chances look very fragile and uncertain.

What went wrong with Chase Elliott’s Bristol run?

John Hunter Nemechek wasn’t the only one involved. Denny Hamlin was behind him, and it the three cars stacked up one behind the other when the No. 9 spun. Hamlin’s car which nudged the No. 42 from behind, denied his involvement in Elliott’s hit on the outside wall which came after contact from No. 42 from behind. However, according to NBC’s Alex Weaver and Steve Letarte, Chase Elliott’s advancement into the Round of 12 came with more luck than dominance.

Ex HMS crew chief and broadcaster Steve Letarte broke down the incident on the Inside the Race podcast, “Yeah I think it’s just a misjudgement by the #9 of Chase Elliott. He’s on the outside, trying to get back to the bottom, he fills a hole that is there but closing. I don’t think John Hunter Nemechek can react enough. The reason I say that is because the #11 absolutely hits the back of John Hunter. Which tells me, if John Hunter overdrove the corner, he would drive off the nose of the #11. I feel like the fact that the #11 and the #42 are close enough to hit each other, they’re both entering at the right speed. The #9 knows what happens when you get stuck on the outside, he tries to fill a hole, he gots run into from behind. A little bit of his own doing.”

According to him, the #9 driver reaped what he sowed, and even he admitted that it may have been his fault. “I thought I was doing the smart thing just trying to get back to the bottom…I thought I was clear…and then got a huge shot from behind. I’m not sure if John Hunter pushed in there or, you know, wasn’t expecting me to come back to the bottom…” said Elliott. “I think Chase even goes, ‘Maybe I stacked them up too much,'” Letarte added.

Letarte feels that by trying to force his way into a closing gap, Elliott left little room for Nemechek to react, which triggered the contact that followed. Hamlin’s involvement further explains that the cars behind were running at the right speed, meaning the chain reaction wasn’t caused by overdriving but by Elliott’s miscalculation.

This further made Letarte give a strong playoff statement for the No. 9. “He was the driver I was concerned about, whether he would be good enough. He’s just been consistent, but not crazy fast. He’s the type of driver who’s going to have to be a little fast, just faster in the next three races to continue.” Letarte’s concern reflects a broader truth about Elliott’s season. Consistency has kept the No. 9 in the hunt, but it hasn’t been paired with the kind of raw pace needed to dominate races.

Letarte then compared Elliott’s situation within the team and commented on the team’s current state in general. “The only thing I would say is, I don’t know if it is a benefit but the other Hendrick cars have backed up to the #9. I always had the #5 and #24 much faster than the #9. Now I think they’re all behind the Toyotas at the moment. So I guess glass half full, the #9 is the same speed as his teammates. Glass half empty is, teammates aren’t as fast as they need to be.”

His words reflect how, compared to the past, other HMS drivers like Larson and Byron have fallen back in speed coming in par with Elliott. However, though this makes things look better for Elliott, this isn’t good news for the team in general, as it highlights their underperformance.

Road ahead for the No. 9

Bristol proved a nightmare for the HMS driver, despite advancing to the Round of 12. With fewer than 200 laps remaining, Chase Elliott was caught up in a collision involving John Hunter Nemechek and Denny Hamlin, abruptly ending his race. While he safely advanced on points, the incident cost him valuable playoff points that could prove crucial down the stretch.

But Elliott’s qualifying woes also loom large. NASCAR journalist Jeff Gluck highlighted that he started outside the Top 15 in each of the three Playoff races, forcing him to fight through traffic and burn extra tires just to regain position. Currently sitting seventh in the standings, a win may be the only way for him to secure a stronger playoff foothold.

However, there is cause for optimism at the upcoming New Hampshire race. In 11 starts at “The Magic Mile,” Elliott has an average finish of 14.7, including a second-place run in July 2022, three top tens, and two top fives. On top of that, his qualifying has traditionally been strong at Loudon, giving him a solid platform to rebound.