[autotag]Chase Elliott[/autotag] didn’t have the type of season he expected when NASCAR entered Daytona in February. Elliott finished the year with seven top-5 finishes and 17 top-10 finishes. Unfortunately for the driver of the No. 9 car, he missed the playoffs for the first time in his NASCAR Cup Series career and finished 17th in the point standings.
Elliott missed six races due to a fractured left tibia and then was suspended for right-rear hooking Denny Hamlin at the 2023 Coca-Cola 600. Coming off a season with five victories, the 28-year-old driver expected to have a strong year. Elliott closed the campaign with 195 laps led (14th-best) and a 13.1 average finishing position (fifth-best).
WHAT A MOVE. RETWEET TO CONGRATULATE CHASE ELLIOTT ON HIS NASCAR CUP SERIES WIN AT TALLADEGA! pic.twitter.com/UBWPljY7J2
— FOX: NASCAR (@NASCARONFOX) October 2, 2022
The Hendrick Motorsports driver lacked winning speed on most weekends. Elliott competed at the Indianapolis Road Course but fell short to Michael McDowell, and other races were not good enough. It is the first time since 2017 that Elliott failed to win a race during the season, and his seven top-5 finishes are the worst result of his career.
Overall, it was not a good year for Elliott. It can only go up from this point, and after two surgeries in 2023, the driver of the No. 9 car should come into the 2024 NASCAR season as healthy as ever. Elliott should also return to his winning ways, and it won’t be a surprise due to his talent behind the wheel at Hendrick Motorsports.
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