The “big one” struck early during Saturday’s Coke Zero Sugar 400 at Daytona International Speedway, dramatically altering the race by Lap 59. The massive multi-car wreck took out several top contenders, including Chase Elliott, who was one of 17 drivers caught in the chaos.
Elliott’s night came to an abrupt end due to the extensive damage his No. 9 Chevrolet sustained in the crash. After being evaluated and released from the infield care center, Elliott spoke to NBC Sports, reflecting on what turned out to be a highly disappointing evening for him and his team.
“I saw smoke, and I was at the back of the pack at that point, just trying to slow down and hope nobody hit me from behind,” Elliott explained. “Unfortunately, neither of those things happened. It’s a real bummer. I hate it, but we were really just riding, trying to get through the stage. It’s definitely frustrating, especially for everyone involved. We’ll have to bounce back strong next week, but honestly, we’ve been pretty lucky in recent plate races, so maybe we were due for some bad luck.”
This crash marked an extremely rare “Did Not Finish” (DNF) for Elliott at Daytona, a track where he’s yet to secure a win in his illustrious career. Even more surprising is that this is the first race this season where Elliott has failed to complete all the laps. Before Saturday’s race, he had impressively run all but one of the 6,438 laps of the season.
Elliott entered the race just 10 points behind Tyler Reddick in the points standings. Unfortunately, with this early exit, he’ll stay behind Reddick heading into Darlington next Sunday. Interestingly, Reddick was also caught up in the crash, as were other prominent drivers like Kyle Larson, Denny Hamlin, and William Byron.
The wreck at Daytona not only ended Elliott’s night but also shook up the points standings and further highlighted the unpredictable nature of superspeedway racing. Despite his setback, Elliott remains focused on the next race, knowing that his team will need a strong performance at Darlington to regain lost ground in the championship hunt. The disappointment of Daytona will no doubt fuel his determination as he looks to rebound and keep his title hopes alive.
Chase Elliott reacts to wrecking out at Daytona in ‘big one’
