Chase Elliott Faces Challenges in Cook Out Southern 500

DARLINGTON, S.C. — Chase Elliott finished 17th at the Cook Out Southern 500, marking a disappointing start to the Cup Series Playoffs for his team, Hendrick Motorsports. Teammate Alex Bowman struggled even more, finishing 31st after a problematic pit stop. The race was a tough experience overall for the team.

Elliott described the event as ‘a really long night’ after the race. He noted that despite efforts to remain competitive, issues arose during strategic pit stops. ‘Yeah, we had clawed our way up to the top 10 and tried to run really long on that one run,’ Elliott told NBC Sports. ‘Everyone was being real aggressive with short-pitting, so we tried to run long. As soon as we did that, the caution came out. It was honestly laughable at that juncture.’

Despite his frustrations, Elliott defended crew chief Alan Gustafson, who faced criticism from some fans. ‘I can think of a couple situations, like recently, where we’ve made some decisions… and that can be the difference in you literally looking like a hero and looking like you just did the dumbest thing ever,’ he said. ‘That’s of no one’s fault, but that’s just the way the race unfolded.’

Looking forward, Elliott is focused on improving for the next race at Gateway. He expressed determination to work with his team to enhance performance and secure better results. In past appearances at Gateway, Elliott has finished 21st and 13th.

Meanwhile, Elliott is currently in 11th place in the Playoff standings, just nine points above the cutoff line. The team hopes to build momentum in the upcoming races. ‘It’s been a long night for sure,’ he said. ‘We’ve got to put our heads together to try to figure out how to be better at Gateway.’