Kyle Petty explains why fans shouldn't overreact to Chase Elliott missing out on playoffs
Without question, the 2023 NASCAR Cup Series season was a disappointment for Chase Elliott. The 27-year-old missed out on this year’s playoffs, having to wait at least another year to add a second Cup Series championship to his resumé.
But former driver and current NBC analyst Kyle Petty says there’s no need to panic when it comes to Elliott. He’s already proven he’s a capable driver and will continue to find success in the future.
“Chase is a champion, and chase is going to continue to move the Hendrick organization forward,” Petty said. “It’s just not your year, dude. You got to ride it out.”
Elliott completed the 2023 regular season without claiming a single checkered flag. He posted 10 finishes in the top-10, seven of those coming inside the top-five. But Elliott finished the year 20th in the points standings, four spots from the cutoff.
While Elliott clearly wants to make the playoffs, Petty brings up a great point. Elliott was the winner of the 2020 Cup Series championship. Before that, he claimed the Xfinity Series title in 2014. He knows how to win at a high level.
This year will probably leave a bad taste in Elliott’s mouth until the start of next season.
Chase Elliott comments after regular season finale
Following Saturday’s race at Daytona, Elliott said missing out on the Cup Series playoffs was a “bummer.” He ended the Coke Zero Sugar 400 in fourth to close out the regular season.
“I appreciate everybody’s support through this season that hasn’t been what I would want by any means,” Elliott said after Saturday’s race, per NBC Sports. “But certainly going to be some lessons taken from it, and I think we’ll be better for it on the other end.”
Elliott could’ve secured a spot in the chase with a win at Daytona over the weekend. Though he ran well, it wasn’t quite good enough to squeak into the postseason.
“I feel like we had an OK chance there, but Brad (Keselowski) and (winner Chris Buescher) just worked so well together there and they were able to stay locked-on,” Elliott said after the race. “They were so locked-on there … they just had a strangle-hold on the top lane.
“Unfortunately, I just couldn’t get to Kevin (Harvick) and stay there like that, and just make the bottom lane work. I kind of bottled it up there and just couldn’t get enough momentum going forward.”