Chase Elliott made his return to the NASCAR Cup Series at Martinsville Speedway on April 16. His day was not smooth, but he delivered a strong finish in the No. 9 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet Camaro.
The 2020 Cup Series champion started 24th overall after struggles in qualifying, and he remained buried near the rear of the field for the majority of the NOCO 400. He finished Stage 1 in the 21st position and then Stage 2 in the 25th position while telling his team about an ill-handling race car.
Elliott spent much of the final stage outside of the top 20, but he steadily began making moves after the final restart. He jumped from 22nd to 19th and then moved up to 14th with roughly 30 laps remaining in the Cup Series race. Elliott was then able to pass Austin Dillon and Alex Bowman among others in the final laps to secure a 10th-place finish.
The final.
“It was pretty good, honestly,” Elliott said about his leg to FOX Sports’ Regan Smith. “It was about what I expected, so that was a good thing. It was warm, and I’ve been sitting on the couch for six weeks, so I think that probably hurt me more than anything.
“Our NAPA Chevy was… we struggled really bad, honestly, for the first… every run but the last one. We finally got it going there at the end, and I was able to make passes and do things that I didn’t really think I was going to be capable of doing.”
Several Drivers Showed Excitement About Elliott’s Return
GettyChase Elliott climbs into the No. 9 Chevrolet Camaro.
The driver of the No. 9 Chevrolet Camaro has been out of action since the February race at Auto Club Speedway. This has left a hole in the garage, which is something that Kevin Harvick mentioned ahead of the race at Martinsville Speedway.
Harvick told NASCAR Media that people want to watch more when Elliott is active. He added that the Reigning Most Popular Driver is NASCAR’s “biggest start” and that he needs to be present every week.
Ryan Blaney (finished 7th), Bubba Wallace (9th) and Chase Elliott (10th) chat after Sunday’s race.
The 2014 Cup Series champion is not the only driver that showed excitement about Elliott’s return to action. Ryan Blaney and Bubba Wallace also did so as they spent time with their golf partner after the NOCO 400, which is a camaraderie that Elliott missed while recovering from a fractured tibia.
“I think the people, honestly,” Elliott said. “From my peers to my teammates, just that competitive nature of being here and wanting to be better. So, [it’s] really nice to be back, and I appreciate the warm welcome this weekend by everybody. So I appreciate that, and it definitely did not go unnoticed.”
Elliott Will Continue To Make Progress
Going from a couch to a hot race car was one major hurdle, especially considering that it took place at a track with heavy braking. Elliott passed this test, and he delivered a top-10 finish.
As Elliott explained, his leg was a little stiff after completing 400 laps in the No. 9 Chevrolet Camaro at Martinsville Speedway. Though he clarified that he was not dealing with any pain.
There is more work to be done. The 2020 Cup Series champion remains outside of the top 30 with 76 points to his name. He is 130 points out of 16th place with 17 races remaining in the Cup Series regular season.
Elliott will continue to gain points and push for top-10 finishes as he makes more starts and continues to get more comfortable in his return from the fractured tibia. He will pursue top-10s and wins at Talladega Superspeedway, Dover Motor Speedway, and several other tracks where he has previously celebrated wins.
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Chase Elliott Overcomes Heat & Handling Issues in NASCAR Return