Photo – Josh Hedges/Getty Images
Continuing to do miraculously things in his NASCAR Sprint Cup Series rookie season, Chase Elliott said a ‘dumb mistake’ prevented him from capturing his first career win in Sunday’s FireKeepers Casino 400 at Michigan International Speedway.
“I had another fantastic car,” said Elliott. “My guys have been doing a really good job the past few weeks, and we’ve been just trying to give it all we can get to get one of these things. Had another fantastic opportunity today, and I feel like definitely messed that one up for my guys.
“As I said outside, you can’t do dumb stuff and expect to win. That’s just the way life is. That’s certainly the way this sport is, and I did dumb stuff today, so can’t expect to win.”
While pole-sitter Joey Logano clearly had one of the cars to beat, Elliott’s No. 24 NAPA Auto Parts Chevrolet could hang with the Ford dynamic and a Lap 117 restart propelled Elliott into the race lead.
Running second near the end of the race, the Hendrick Motorsports driver was informed he needed to conserve fuel, as the team fell short on fueling the car to its maximum capacity the stop prior. With an agitated driver behind the wheel, it was evident that a late race green flag pit stop would have been determinate to his strong performance.
Thankfully, a late race caution with 11 laps to go brought out the final caution allowing Elliott to join others on pit road for tires and fuel.
Knowing he had one likely shot to make work of Logano on the restart, Elliott didn’t have enough and settled for second, his career-best in 20 Cup starts.
When asked to elaborate on the ‘dumb mistake’ that kept the Dawsonville, Georgia native from Victory Lane, Elliott quipped,
“Yeah, just putting it in the correct gear would be a good start.”
It’s a fact, there’s probably not a driver that harder on himself in the Sprint Cup garage other than Chase Elliott.
Nothing new. We saw this from him in the NASCAR XFINITY Series too.
But, no more need for that.
For many, the 20-year-old driver has exceeded the expectations of his peers and those alike in Sprint Cup. With an evolving race package and stiff competition, patience is a virtue for the 2014 NASCAR XFINITY Series champion.
Wins will come and from wins will likely lead to championships meaning Sunday’s ‘dumb mistake’ will become more than just a distant memory.