Chase Elliott Reveals Why He Had to “Apologize” to Tyler Reddick After He “Sucked” in the Rain at Watkins Glen

There’s no doubt that Hendrick Motorsports’ Chase Elliott will have a tough time getting over the Watkins Glen International race. The weather-delayed NASCAR Cup Series race was not only eventful for the audience but also for the #9 Chevrolet Camaro driver. 

It was difficult for the slick tires of the car to provide a good grip on the damp track. Struggling with the wet track conditions, Chase Elliott ran into his fellow driver during the race.

While addressing the press post-race, Elliott opened up about his difficulty with the track. When a journalist asked the 2020 NASCAR Cup Series Champion about how his next-gen car handled the wet track conditions, Elliott said, “Yeah, I sucked at it personally.”

“There were a lot of guys that drove by me…making it look really easy so…seemed fine.” 

Shortly after the start of the race, Chase Elliott ran into Tyler Reddick. Afterward, Elliott stopped on the pit road to talk to Reddick. Revealing what exactly he talked about to the Richard Childress Racing driver, Elliott said, “I accidentally locked up the rears and ran into him there on the track and I just wanted to apologize to him and talk to him about it there firsthand.” 

Feeling sorry for what had happened, Elliott continued to explain: “I just made a mistake and wanted to make sure he knew I didn’t run him over on purpose.”

READ MORE: NASCAR Fans React to Chase Elliott Giving “Kyle Busch Type of Interview” After His Dismal Richmond Qualifying Result

Apart from Elliott’s mishap, his teammate and Watkins Glen race winner Kyle Larson’s finishing move was also upsetting for Elliott. The controversial coming together was something that Elliott did not want to discuss in the post-race address. However, he did talk about his heated battle with former F1 driver Kimi Raikkonen. 

Chase Elliott on Kimi Raikkonen’s return to the track

World champion, Kimi Raikkonen, made his NASCAR cup debut on the Watkins Glen International track on Sunday. Driving for Trackhouse Racings’ Project91, Raikkonen couldn’t finish the race as he crashed into the outside tire barriers on the track.  

However, calling the entire experience “good fun,” the veteran racer felt that he had plenty to learn, even if it was a short stint. NASCAR Cup Series fans especially enjoyed watching him in a spirited battle with Chase Elliott during the initial part of the race. 

Elliott talked about his battle with Raikkonen on the track. He said, “I thought he was doing great. He was right in the middle of the mess there and looked like he was right at home. So, I thought that was really cool.”

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Elliott will next drive at the Daytona International Speedway. He wishes to keep his hopes high for his next race. Although losing 15 points in the Go Bowling race was tough for him, he seems optimistic for Daytona.