Chase Elliott has opened up about his recent struggles as he prepares to defend his Cook Out Clash title at historic Bowman Gray Stadium on Monday night. The seven-time Most Popular Driver said recent months have included some “really bad weekends” that left him feeling down and struggling for answers.
Elliott, who won the Cup Series championship in 2020, has scored 21 career NASCAR Cup Series wins. But last season, he snapped a long winless stretch with a victory at Texas Motor Speedway, as his overall wins have become rarer than earlier in his career. Over the past three seasons, he has collected just three wins after a total of 5 wins in a single season in 2022.
“It’s been a lot of hard work. There’s been a lot of really bad weekends and days that you go home just miserable, and you just want to, not throw in the towel, but figure it out. And I’m not even saying figure it out tomorrow, but one step. One step at a time,” Chase Elliott said (via ESPN).
Elliott collected 18 wins between 2018 and 2022 when he tallied 18 wins. Last season, the 30-year-oldalso qualified for the Cup Series Playoffs for the ninth time in his career. But he won just two last season. His first came as a late-race victory at Atlanta, and another strong performance at Kansas pushed his totals to 11 top-five finishes and 19 top-10s.
“I Look For More Weekends Like That” – Chase Elliott Reflects on Kansas NASCAR Cup Race
Chase Elliott was proud of his effort at Kansas Speedway, where he battled through the field in an overtime finish to secure the win and advance to the Round of 8. The playoff race went into double overtime on the 1.5-mile track in Kansas City, Kansas, after late cautions.
Elliott restarted around eighth place, and slipped past leaders Bubba Wallace and Denny Hamlin on the final lap to take the lead. He crossed the finish line 0.069 seconds ahead of Hamlin in a dramatic finish.
“Kansas, I thought we were actually really competitive throughout the day … and for that, I can be proud. We were in the picture and I can be super proud of that, of the efforts, and of the whole thing. So, I look for more weekends like that,” ChASE Elliott added.
Meanwhile, this season’s first race is set for Monday. Elliott won the Cook Out Clash at Bowman Gray Stadium last year after he led 171 of 200 laps of the main event.
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