Kyle Petty recently brushed off a fan’s praise for Chase Elliott, specifically downplaying a statistic highlighting the driver’s impressive average finish in the NASCAR Cup Series. The fan pointed out that Elliott, who drives the #9 car for Hendrick Motorsports, has maintained the best average finish in the series. Petty, however, responded quickly, asserting that while Elliott’s strong finish at Kansas was admirable, it didn’t amount to much beyond a few playoff points.
Elliott’s 2023 season has been turbulent, with him missing seven races due to an injury and a race suspension. Despite these setbacks, Elliott managed to secure a win earlier in the year at the Autotrader EchoPark Automotive 400 at Texas Motor Speedway, propelling him into the playoffs. His consistency since then has kept him in the competition, and his steady performances have helped him advance to the Round of 12, largely due to points he’s earned from his strong finishes.
A fan recently took to social media to point out Elliott’s consistency, noting his average finish:
“@chaseelliott continues to have the best average finish in the NASCAR Cup series after improving to a 11.3 today.”
This post was soon brought to Kyle Petty’s attention, with another fan asking for his take. Petty’s response was sharp and sarcastic:
“That and $5.89 will get you a cup of coffee and +4 in the Playoffs… but not much more.”
The comment underscores Petty’s belief that, while Elliott’s average finish is commendable, it hasn’t significantly boosted his standing in the playoffs. Elliott’s recent performance at Kansas, where he started at the back of the field due to engine problems in qualifying, saw him fighting his way through to finish in the top 10. Starting from 38th, Elliott worked his way up the ranks, ending Stage 1 in 19th place and finishing Stage 2 in 9th. By the end of the race, he secured a 9th-place finish and earned 30 points, which helped him stay above the playoff cutoff line and advance to the Round of 12. However, despite this hard-fought effort, Elliott remains in the last spot among the remaining playoff drivers.
Reflecting on his race at Kansas, Elliott acknowledged the challenges he faced. He pointed to his poor qualifying position as the main reason for his struggles, which led to a less-than-ideal pit road selection. In an interview with NBC Sports, Elliott explained:
“We just had an uphill battle, it seemed like all day. I really thought our car was pretty good. We were able to move forward a long way, it seemed like. But because we had a bad pit pick, ultimately it puts you in a bad position to lose spots on pit road. So, it seemed like we would gain a bunch of spots and then lose a bunch of spots from the pit road thing. We tried to claw back up, fall back up in the top-10. It was nice to at least get that one.”
Elliott’s performance at Kansas may not have secured him a dominant position in the playoff standings, but it did demonstrate his resilience and determination. The #9 driver is gearing up for his next challenge at Talladega Superspeedway in the Yellawood 500, set to take place on Sunday, October 6, at 2:00 PM ET. This race, the 31st of the 2024 NASCAR Cup Series season, will see drivers compete over 188 laps on Talladega’s 2.66-mile asphalt track. With high speeds and the unpredictable nature of superspeedway racing, Talladega presents Elliott with an opportunity to make a significant impact as he fights to stay in the playoff hunt.
Though Kyle Petty may have dismissed the importance of Elliott’s average finish, Elliott’s focus is undoubtedly on the bigger picture—advancing deeper into the playoffs and continuing to push for a strong finish to the season. His ability to recover from setbacks and maintain consistency, especially in a year filled with challenges, will be crucial as he moves forward in his playoff campaign.
Kyle Petty dismisses Chase Elliott fan’s promotion of the HMS driver’s playoff statistic
