Chase Elliott goes from hero to ninth place at Michigan

Chase Elliott, driver of the #9 NAPA Auto Parts Camaro ZL1, races to a 9th place finish Sunday, August 12, 2018 in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Race at Michigan International Speedway in Brooklyn, Michigan (Photo by Garry Eller/HHP for Chevy Racing)

The week before, Chase Elliott was riding high after his feel-good win at Watkins Glen.

And Sunday prior to Monster Energy Cup Series race at Michigan International Speedway, Elliott admitted that he wished he would have had more time to enjoy his first Cup win.

His issues really started Friday when Elliott qualified 21st.  During a pit stop during a competition caution on lap 27, Elliott’s crew was penalized for an uncontrolled tire.

He restarted 30th.

Ten laps later Elliott was forced back in with a vibration from a possible loose tire.  He rejoined the field 38th, one lap down.

It took the rest of the 200 laps for Elliott to fight his way back to 9th.

“Yeah, we didn’t have a lot of pace and very frustrating,” a subdued Elliott said. “But I feel like we made the most of it.”

Greg Engle
About Greg Engle 7421 Articles
Greg is a published award winning sportswriter who spent 23 years combined active and active reserve military service, much of that in and around the Special Operations community. Greg is the author of "The Nuts and Bolts of NASCAR: The Definitive Viewers' Guide to Big-Time Stock Car Auto Racing" and has been published in major publications across the country including the Los Angeles Times, the Cleveland Plain Dealer and the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. He was also a contributor to Chicken Soup for the NASCAR Soul, published in 2010, and the Christmas edition in 2016. He wrote as the NASCAR, Formula 1, Auto Reviews and National Veterans Affairs Examiner for Examiner.com and has appeared on Fox News. He holds a BS degree in communications, a Masters degree in psychology and is currently a PhD candidate majoring in psychology. He is currently the weekend Motorsports Editor for Autoweek.