The crucial playoff race at Martinsville Speedway is proving to be a tough one for Chase Elliott and the #9 team. Knowing that a win is basically what they need to keep their championship hopes alive, they got right to work. Starting the race from P2, Elliott quickly took command of the race and bagged himself a stage 1 win.

However, the mood quickly changed inside the #9 team camp as they dropped the ball on crucial pit stops. This saw Elliott start mid-pack, relinquishing his lead. He knew that the only way to stay alive in the title race was to win, and he quickly altered his plans for the day. Which was to go elbows out and start attacking before things get out of hand. But he just might have overstepped in trying to achieve his objectives.

The HMS driver was involved in a tough battle against Chase Briscoe during the final stage run. The SHR driver was fighting tooth and nail against the No. 9 Chevy and didn’t want to lose his spot. Unable to find a way past Briscoe in the top lane, Elliott wanted to try his luck on the bottom lane. And this is where things got pretty hairy.

Chris Buescher was the one driving in the middle lane, and it looked like he was heading towards the pit road entry. Before Elliott decided to switch lanes, the No. 17 ducked to the inside lane and reduced the speed to avoid entering the pit road above the speed limit. However, the HMS star had no idea about this move and had already committed. Next thing you know, he made a hard contact against the back bumper of the Buscher’s car.

Fortunately, the two drivers went their ways without sustaining any significant damage to their race cars. But Chase Elliott wasn’t happy about it. When his spotter asked about the situation, he replied, “Not all good! What the f–k was he doing?” Even his crew chief, Alan Gustafson, felt the same way, and he was caught showing a sarcastic thumbs up to the #17 team. “good f–king work No. 17.” However, the fans were having none of it and pinned the blame on HMS Star.

What was Chase Elliott trying to do?

Switching lanes isn’t as simple at short oval tracks, unlike the speedway and mile-and-half racetracks. Drivers need to lift their foot off the gas to make the corner entry. And regardless of whether Buescher was headed to pits or not, Elliott came in barging. Highlighting these fine details, a fan wrote, “Chase turned left and nailed Buescher. Even if Buescher was headed into the corner instead of pit lane, his entry was all wrong. Chase shouldn’t have tried to follow him.”

It wasn’t the case that Elliott couldn’t see Buescher lifting off the gas and heading in the corner. Rather, he saw the move made by the RFK Racing driver but was committed to just go all out and gain the position. It was indeed a conscious call to wreck the #17 rather than to avoid making the contact. A move that could’ve gone sideways for the HMS driver. “Chase was down three lanes and ran into the 17.”

It is indeed hard to call out what exactly happened on the racetrack. There could’ve been multiple things that led to a collision. However, it was hard to back Elliott and his tactics after watching replays, which showed he was the one who drove into Buescher. Sharing a similar sentiment, a fan on X wrote, “Chase drove into him??? 😂😂😂”

Buescher is one of the drivers who likes to keep himself out of unnecessary drama and often races his opponents cleanly. However, the RFK Racing driver isn’t the one who likes to be roughed up. This was evident from his reaction at Darlington, where he nearly traded punches with Tyler Reddick. And going by this fan’s prediction, something similar could happen today at Martinsville. “Would love to see Buescher kicking Elliott’s a– after the race.”

Making a pass on a track like Martinsville isn’t that simple. Drivers usually have to work their way around the tight corners by reaching the bumpers of the other racers and then make a move. But Elliott was just committed to doing things his own way, and that nearly took him out of the race. “If Elliot was just passing, why did he drive so far down. He was damn near making a left turn.”

With a big chunk of the race still remaining, Chase Elliott should be able to race himself upfront and get an opportunity to win it. But reckless bumping and banging could see him derail his massive comeback.