The massive 28-car wreck at Talladega has stirred up controversy, not just for its scale but also for NASCAR’s handling of the Damaged Vehicle Policy (DVP). Many drivers, including Chase Elliott, were puzzled by how the rule was applied. Elliott, among those caught up in the chaos, found himself towed to the pit lane, despite the DVP specifying that damaged cars cannot be towed there.

Though NASCAR later issued a clarification on the DVP, many teams and drivers are still frustrated with how officials managed the aftermath. Elliott openly shared his confusion about the experience, expressing doubts about NASCAR’s decisions and how the incident was handled.

Chase Elliott was running in the top 4 when the wreck took place with 5 laps to go. It seemed like a positive day for the Hendrick Motorsports driver until the wreck happened and he finished 29th on the grid. Despite his car being unmoveable after the wreck, NASCAR let him tow his car to the pits, and that’s where he resumed the race. After the race was over, Elliott was approached by FrontStretch, and that’s where he explained his take on the implementation of the DVP rule at Talladega.

As FrontStretch’s Trenton Worsham spoke to Chase Elliott after the qualifying in Charlotte, Chase Elliott broke down what he thinks is the main problem with the DVP. Worsham asked, “With the change in the DVP, are you trying to figure out, ‘Okay, who gets towed first and all these things that could be involved in it?’ Or do you just think, ‘Okay, whatever they do, they’re going to do, and I’m just going to drive,’ and whatever?”

Responding to that, the No. 9 Hendrick Motorsports driver explained, “It’s unfortunate that if you have flat tires, that causes you to not be able to go anywhere without help. You know, so you’re just at the mercy of the track workers at that point.” However, instead of doing something about the situation like Berry did by staying in  the car, Elliott explained, “I don’t know that you can do anything other than just try to be patient and, you know, hope that they can give you a tow and let the teams assess things, and not put those guys in a position where they have to make a judgment call.”

While Chase Elliott explained how he felt when the wreck just happened, a follow-up question made him reveal his views on the NextGen car, which he believes is responsible for his downfall. As a follow-up to the first question, FrontStretch asked Elliott, “Do you feel like the enforcement of that going forward with the playoffs, with five races left, instead of waiting for the end of the year, do you feel like they made the right call enforcing it differently?”

Replying to the question, Elliot stated, “Yeah, I mean, it’s changed so much since this car (Next-Gen) came along. I mean, early on, you had guys being towed back to Pit Road a lot, you know, and then obviously that changed, and then last week they towed a few of us back. So, like, yes, I mean, I think when you look at just the overall situation, you know, it’s a car design flaw, number one.”

According to Elliott, it’s the design of the NextGen cars that leads to the car being undrivable on flat tires. This observation was also made by Josh Berry and his crew chief when he suffered from the DVP rule back in Kansas. The race was clearly frustrating for Elliott, as he was a front-runner before the wreck, however, compared to the Talladega race; he has been taking it cool despite his 20-race dry spell.

Chase Elliott is back to having a dry spell

Chase Elliott might be in the playoffs and currently sits above the cut line in 8th, but his win drought has been concerning. Since his last victory at the 2024 Autotrader EchoPark Automotive 400, Elliott hasn’t claimed another win, marking a 20-race dry spell. However, this is still better than the 42-race drought he endured before his Texas win.

While he scored five wins in 2022, Elliott has struggled to replicate that success in 2023 and 2024, with fewer wins and more inconsistent performances. Despite making it to the playoffs, he’s yet to secure another victory this season, casting doubt on his path forward.

Although it cannot be said that this is Elliott’s year, the No. 9 driver came forward to share his thoughts on not winning enough this season. Elliott explained, “I don’t necessarily find it frustrating… It does seem like we have a more consistent, widespread number of winners yearly since we’ve had this car. So, that’s been interesting to watch.” For now, Elliott is safe from being eliminated from the playoffs, and the upcoming Roval race will decide if he makes it into the top 8 or not. There is a lot of pressure on Elliott, especially from his team boss’ wife Linda Hendrick, who wishes to see all the drivers in the top 4.

Surely Mrs. Hendrick’s ask seems difficult, but knowing Chase Elliott, do you think he will be able to make it to the next round?