Video: Chase Elliott's Car Suffers Major Engine Failure, Catches Fire in Opening Practice

It’s a less than ideal start to the weekend for NASCAR’s Most Popular Driver Chase Elliott at Martinsville Speedway.

In the first moments of opening Cup Series practice, Elliott’s No. 9 Mountain Dew Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 suffered a catastrophic engine failure and caught fire.

The quest to better @chaseelliott's runner-up spring finish at @martinsvilleswy hit a road block early in practice. pic.twitter.com/tNJ3YZ4mJ4

— NASCAR (@NASCAR) October 26, 2019

Elliott was able to escape the car, but his primary motor is done for, which means he will start Sunday’s race from the rear. Elliott snagged the final place in the Playoff Round of 8 with a second-place finish last week at Kansas.

This is NOT how @chaseelliott wanted to begin his Round of 8 in the #NASCARPlayoffs #FirstData500 pic.twitter.com/e3PM5wRzRi

— Martinsville Speedway (@MartinsvilleSwy) October 26, 2019

This is the second blown motor for Elliott in the last four weeks. He blew an engine after running just eight laps in the race at Dover four weeks ago.

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Toby Christie

Toby is the Founder, and Editor-in-Chief of TobyChristie.com. Toby is also the co-host of The Final Lap Weekly Podcast. Additionally, he is an award-winning writer, and has followed the sport as a fan since 1993.