Chase Elliott not bummed entering Coke Zero Sugar 400 at Daytona; starts 23rd, however
DAYTONA BEACH — Whatever happens Saturday night at Daytona, Chase Elliott doesn’t feel all that bad about the effort he’s delivered during his abbreviated season.
“There’s a lot of high spots we should be proud of,” he said Friday.
Elliott needs a win in Saturday’s Coke Zero Sugar 400 to earn a playoff spot, and it won’t be easy. Not right out of the gate at least, since his subpar qualifying effort Friday landed him 23rd in the starting lineup.
Elliott missed six races due to breaking a leg in a skiing accident, then missed another after he was suspended for rough driving in late-May’s Coca Cola 600 at Charlotte.
Through 25 races, he sits 101 points out of 16th place, so his only route into the 16-team playoffs is a Saturday victory, and he’s never won a Cup Series race at Daytona’s 2.5-mile trioval (he did win, however, the 2020 race on Daytona’s road course).
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“A friend of mine said to me this week, 'Dude, you missed seven races and you were like 40 points from 16th before Michigan,’ ” Elliott said Friday. "When you look at it like that, it could be a lot worse. I sat on the couch for seven weekends this year and we had a legitimate shot. And we haven't been running our best, either.”
This article originally appeared on The Daytona Beach News-Journal: NASCAR: Chase Elliott starts 23rd in Daytona's Coke Zero Sugar 400
