Chase Elliott’s weekend at Auto Club Speedway has already gotten off to a rough start, one that has appeared to continue into Sunday’s Wise Power 400.
Elliott, who had worked his way into the top spot, popped the outside wall with his No. 9 NAPA Auto Parts Chevrolet Camaro not once, but twice, forcing the 2020 NASCAR Cup Series champion to relinquish the lead to Tyler Reddick.
The leader smacks the wall!@chaseelliott | ?: FOX pic.twitter.com/wIREKS5YTM
— NASCAR (@NASCAR) February 27, 2022
However, just five laps after losing the lead, Elliott faced even more issues on his Hendrick Motorsports entry, spinning around on the exit of turn two, drawing the race’s second caution flag.
On the radio, Elliott eluded to the fact that something may have broken on his car, causing the spin, but later said he was unsure if it was a mechanical issue, or just a flat tire.
Chase Elliott and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day https://t.co/FYybWEwfWO pic.twitter.com/zYwa8SAj7V
— NASCAR (@NASCAR) February 27, 2022
The Dawsonville, Georiga-native fell multiple laps down, and will work to get those spots back as the race’s remaining 150 laps play out.