Defending NASCAR Cup Series Champion Chase Elliott has an uphill battle ahead of him if he wants to repeat in 2021. Elliott went hard into the outside wall on lap 325 after contact with Christopher Bell and Bubba Wallace cut the tire on his No. 9 car.
Chase Elliott hits the wall late at @TooToughToTame!
Not the start to the #NASCARPlayoffs for the defending champion. pic.twitter.com/XgJ5UnRsnJ
— NASCAR on NBC (@NASCARonNBC) September 6, 2021
Elliott took the car to the pit lane to the attention of his pit crew, but the hit was so hard that it broke his brake rotors. As a result, Elliott is done for the night.
Elliott shouldered the blame for the DNF, as mistakes he made earlier in the race led to him being in the position he was at this point in the event.
“On my end, I made too many mistakes tonight,” Elliott said. “That’s what you get when you make mistakes.”
Elliott joins Michael McDowell, Kyle Busch and William Byron as Playoff contenders who will DNF Sunday at Darlington.
