Chase Elliott gave it all he had in the closing laps of Sunday’s NASCAR Cup Series race at Las Vegas. The driver of the No. 9 was inching up on race leader Denny Hamlin as the laps wound down in the Pennzoil 400.
Unfortunately for the 2020 series champion, he ran out of laps to catch the driver of the No. 11. Elliott had to settle for a second-place finish at Las Vegas, his second top five of the season and first at Las Vegas since September 2021.
While the Georgia native couldn’t hide his disappointment in not winning, Elliott looked on the bright side of things after a strong run in Sin City.
Chase Elliott on runner-up finish at Vegas: ‘Mixed feelings’
In his post-race interview with FOX Sports, Elliott said he was gaining confidence was the laps ticked off the board that he would have a shot at a victory. He knew Hamlin’s No. 11 car was getting on the tighter side as Elliott continued to reel him in.
Yet, when the checkered flag flew, Elliott came across the finish line in second.
Although he was “bummed” to come up just shy of his 22nd career Cup victory, Elliott knew it was a step-up in performance for the No. 9 team.
“I thought there might be an opportunity. I knew he [Hamlin] was starting to get tight there at the end of runs. … As bummed as I am to come up that close to a win, I have to bring myself back to a reality check in just how much better we ran today than we’ve been running,” Elliott said.
Looking back at the final laps, Elliott wishes he could’ve had just a few of them back. Despite that, he gave credit where it was due to Hamlin for hanging on to the lead in the closing laps.
Ultimately, Elliott finished strong in Las Vegas, but falling short of a win after getting close in the late laps left him conflicted in the end
It was a really solid day. Obviously, bummed to come up that short. Wish I could’ve pieced together just a little better couple laps towards the end. Trying to be as tidy as I could be, but he [Hamlin] did a really good job. … I don’t know, just kinda mixed feelings,” Elliott said.
It was another strong points day for Elliott as he left Las Vegas fifth in the points standings. The 21-time Cup winner bounced back from a 23rd-place result at Phoenix the week prior.
Chase Elliott looks to keep ‘chipping away’ after second-place effort
In a media scrum following Sunday’s race, Elliott was asked if he had to fight similar loose issues that his Hendrick Motorsports teammates did. Although they had their own struggles, the No. 9 team managed to make the car better.
Looking ahead, Elliott said it’s about taking the momentum of Sunday’s run into the future.
We had our issues, too, but I thought we got our car much better there by the end of the race. We’ve just got to keep chipping away at it. … We’ll have plenty of opportunities. It’s just about taking today and building,” Elliott said.
The NASCAR Cup Series heads to the Darlington Raceway next Sunday, March 22. The race is scheduled to start at 3 p.m. Eastern time, and can be watched on FS1 or listened to on the Motor Racing Network.