Early trouble at the back of the field!
Talk about a close one for @chaseelliott! #NASCARPlayoffs pic.twitter.com/0l4pt2JQWJ
— NASCAR (@NASCAR) September 29, 2024
It’s not been a fantastic weekend for Chase Elliott.
The Hendrick Motorsports driver was forced to start at the rear in Sunday’s Hollywood Casino 400 at Kansas Speedway after dropping a cylinder in practice, and that’s caused the No. 9 team even more problems.
On the race’s initial start, Elliott shot out of a cannon and made several moves around the outside in the first set of corners, before scraping the wall exiting Turn 2.
The close quarters around him exiting the corner proved to be an issue, as contact between Harrison Burton and Ty Dillon triggered a major problem on the backstretch, which collected others. Josh Berry and Jimmie Johnson were collected, as well.
Of those involved in the wreck, Josh Berry, driving the No. 4 Ford Mustang Dark Horse, was the only driver to retire from the event, while Burton, Johnson, and Dillon went several laps down attempting to fix the damage.
After scraping the outside wall, Elliott chose not to make a pit stop.
“That was an experience like none other,” said Berry. “Obviously, we got clipped and spun, and we had four flat tires. I assumed they were going to tow the car to the pits, which is what I was asking for, and then they dropped my window net and told me to get out.”
“Rodney (Childers) told me to stay in because all we needed was tires. They were telling me to get out. Then they towed me into the campground, so I was just out there chilling with the fans. At that point, they said they had to get a rollback, and they finally made me get out. Rodney was trying to talk to somebody and couldn’t get anybody on the phone. I don’t know what I am missing. I have seen plenty of cars get towed to the pits and get tires put on, so I don’t know if I am missing something or if there was something different than normal, but that was an experience for sure.”
