After a season full of consistent performances, Chase Elliott is experiencing something of a rough patch. The Hendrick Motorsports star, towards the end of the regular season, didn’t exactly hit the stride he set for himself in the middle of the season.

And now, in the first race of the playoffs at Darlington, Elliott, considered the favorite for lifting the championship in Phoenix, finished last.

It was so because of an unfixable problem in his Chevy Camaro’s rear that he endured after hitting a wall around lap 113. The 2020 Cup champion quickly darted into the pits, but his crew couldn’t fix the problem in the 10-minute window they had.

Naturally, the driver was frustrated. So frustrated, in fact, that he initially refused to come to the care center, which he eventually did, but nevertheless, not easily.

Elliott’s action, though, however justified through the guise of a natural emotional reaction, was still something that a few NASCAR fans inappropriate and outright wrong as they demanded a penalty or a fine of some sort to punish the #9 driver.

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What did Chase Elliott say after the race?

Despite not wanting to come initially, Chase Elliott did indeed make his way into the care center post, which he also reacted to his race. “Hit the wall there in Turn 2 and broke something in the right rear,” Elliott said after exiting the infield care center.

As for what he would do in the coming races, the #9 driver kept it rather simple.

“Run better than we did today,” he replied.

Do you think after Darlington, Chase Elliott is still the favorite to win the Cup Series this season or is there now, a new contender for that crown?

Let us know in the comments below.

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