Chase Elliott was among the many race favorites who fell victim to the multi-car crash on Lap 60 at the Daytona International Speedway. Contact between Corey LaJoie and Noah Gragson caused a severe pileup at the Coke Zero Sugar 400, and as per NASCAR’s latest count, a staggering 16 cars were involved in the incident. While most of them managed to carry on, Denny Hamlin, Chase Elliott, Ryan Preece, and Noah Gragson were forced to retire early.

With just one race to go before playoffs begin at Atlanta Motor Speedway, the stakes are higher than ever to get results at the business end of the Cup Series season. Despite a disappointing result at Daytona, Elliott refused to point fingers at Corey LaJoie, even though it may cost him a regular series championship.

Chase Elliott disappointed at Daytona outcome

Heading into the Coke Zero Sugar 400, Chase Elliott was closely trailing leader Tyler Reddick in the driver standings. Just 10 points separated the two before the penultimate race of the season, which meant the Hendrick Motorsports driver could have easily made up the deficit with a race win at Daytona. However, having gone 24 races without a single DNF, the inevitable happened when his No. 9 Chevy suffered significant damage during the multi-car collision on Lap 60, forcing Elliott to end his race early.

Despite the disheartening result, Elliott refused to assign blame for the incident during the post-race interview. Speaking to Fox Sports’ Bob Pockrass after being checked and released from the infield care center, the 28-year-old said, “I was just trying to steer away from the people that I saw spinning and crashing. I’m not really sure, I got clipped on the way, I haven’t seen it so I’m not really sure. Obviously, we’re going to lose a bunch of points, so we’ll just have to wait and see. It’s a bummer.

“I honestly haven’t paid a ton of attention to it, other than what you all tell me. I know that we were all really bunched up right in there. Certainly hurts us and we’ll have to be really good next week to have a shot at it. I had not felt anything different, but we did not push the pace like ten-tenths. I don’t know if you would have felt it at that point in the race anyway,” he added.

Chase Elliott’s 36th-place finish at Daytona International Speedway was the worst result of his ongoing Cup Series campaign. Before the Coke Zero Sugar 400, his lowest finish of the season was 21st at the Chicago Street Course, a testament to his consistency throughout the season. Despite securing just one victory at Texas Motor Speedway, Elliott’s seven top-five finishes in the season so far means he remains in contention to finish at the top of the driver standings if results go his way at Darlington.

It’s now or never for Chase Elliott, as only one race remains before the playoffs begin. With Tyler Reddick also suffering from his second DNF of the season at Daytona, there remains a chance for the Georgia native to double his win tally at Darlington Raceway and clinch the regular series championship. Denny Hamlin being docked 75 points and 10 additional playoffs because of Toyota Racing Development violating engine inspection requirements has given Hendrick Motorsports a unique opportunity to capitalize on the situation. It remains to be seen if they can take it.

Elliott expresses sympathy for Denny Hamlin

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Until the race at Michigan International Speedway, the NASCAR Cup Series race was heating up to be one of the closest contests in recent history. Up to four different drivers had the opportunity to clinch the regular series championship, and fans were eager to see how the drama would unfold in the remaining two races of the season. However, everything changed when NASCAR imposed a hefty L2 penalty on Denny Hamlin, resulting in the Joe Gibbs Racing driver going from third to sixth in the driver standings.

They might be rivals, and Hamlin’s unfortunate circumstances will undoubtedly give Chase Elliott an advantage in the closing stages of the season, but that didn’t stop the 28-year-old from showing concern for his situation. Speaking about the penalty, Elliott said, “I hate that because I want to race Denny. I want him to be amongst that group because they do a really good job. Anytime you can go head-to-head with them and outdo a team of that caliber, it’s a good thing and it’s healthy.”

Denny Hamlin’s hopes of finishing at the top of the driver standings before playoffs begin have been wiped out. Having been at the receiving end of a 75-point deduction combined with a fourth DNF of the season means that his only hope of securing the elusive Cup Series championship is to perform well in the postseason. As for Elliott, the driver will hope for a change in fortunes at the Cook Out Southern 500, with a victory potentially becoming a game-changer in his title aspirations.

What are your thoughts about Chase Elliott’s DNF at Daytona International Speedway? Let us know in the comments!