Kevin Harvick breaks down Chase Elliott-John Hunter Nemechek Bristol wreck, assigns blame
Chase Elliott had an inconsistent Round of 16 in the NASCAR Cup Series playoffs, this past Saturday’s Bristol Night Race being the worst of it. John Hunter Nemechek made contact with Elliott on Lap 311, sending his No. 9 Chevrolet into the outside wall.
Elliott, who was running the top groove, was looking to get back to the bottom. He saw a hole in front of Nemechek, though there ultimately wasn’t enough room. Kevin Harvick didn’t think either driver was at fault, calling it a “racing deal.”
“It looked to me like the 9 [Elliott] was out of the groove and trying to find a hole and the 42 [Nemechek] had committed to filling the hole,” Harvick said on Tuesday’s Happy Hour podcast. “When the 9 pulled down, he had to check up really hard and hit the back of the 9 and the 11 [Denny Hamlin] hit the back of the 42 and that ultimately sent the 9 spinning. In those situations when you’re racing like that, you want to keep that guy up in the top groove knowing that he’s vulnerable and you want to take that position. … I think that’s just a racing deal, in my opinion.”
Chase Elliott looks back on incident with John Hunter Nemechek
Elliott saw his race come to an immediate end. He spoke with NBC Sports after the incident and without seeing the points, he assumed his playoffs were over.
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In reality, Elliott had enough of a buffer that his playoff spot was in no real jeopardy. This is how he viewed the incident in real time:
“It was a game of just how quick can you get to the bottom after a few laps to preserve your tires. I thought I was doing the smart thing,” Elliott said. “The Penske guys got position on me, so I was just trying to get back down in line. I got a huge shot from behind and I don’t know if he [Hunter Nemechek] had maybe gotten hit or I just stacked the lane up that much or what. Nonetheless, it happened, and it’s done. Looks like we’re in a bit of a pickle now.”
The points have reset for the Round of 12. Elliott will begin seventh in the playoff standings, +5 above the cutline.