Chase Elliott wreck forces him into must-win territory after Talladega
LINCOLN, Ala. — Chase Elliott will likely need to win at Martinsville Speedway to make the Championship 4 after a wreck in Sunday’s NASCAR Cup Series race at Talladega.
Elliott was running in the middle of the pack when a crash broke out up front. The crash trickled back to Austin Cindric, who crashed into him while trying to avoid the wreck himself.
Elliott came to pit road with severe front end damage. The team found the crash destroyed his radiator, ending his day in last — 40th.
Elliott will earn just one point for his efforts at Talladega. Going into Martinsville, he will be at least 40 points below the cutline.
“The assignment is simple. I don’t know about the crash, I saw someone get turned sideways and I got turned sideways. I hate it. We had ourselves in a good spot through the cycle but we didn’t execute the cycle well and got back there. Can’t change that, though. All eyes on Martinsville and we’ve been good there before,” Elliott said to NBC.
Elliott will be a prime contender next Sunday at Martinsville. Here’s why by the numbers:
- Elliott hasn’t finished worse than fourth in the last three Martinsville races
- Led 129 of 500 laps and finished second last fall
- Finished fourth in the spring and led 42 of 400 laps
- Finished fifth at New Hampshire with a similar tire compound as what they’ll run at Martinsville next weekend
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Jonathan Fjeld View All
Jonathan Fjeld is the co-owner of the The Racing Experts, LLC. He has been with TRE since 2010.
A Twin Valley, MN, native, Fjeld became a motorsports fan at just three years old (first race was the 2002 Pennsylvania 500). He worked as a contributor and writer for TRE from 2010-18. Since then, he has stepped up and covered 24 NASCAR race weekends and taken on a larger role with TRE. He became the co-owner and managing editor in 2023 and has guided the site to massive growth in that time.
Fjeld has covered a wide array of stories and moments over the years, including Kevin Harvick's final Cup Series season, the first NASCAR national series disqualification in over 50 years, Shane van Gisbergen's stunning win in Chicago and the first Cup Series race at Road America in 66 years – as well as up-and-coming drivers' stories and stories from inside the sport, like the tech it takes for Hendrick Motorsports to remain a top-tier team.
Currently, he resides in Albuquerque, N.M., where he works for KOB 4, an NBC station. He works as a digital producer and does on-air reports. He loves spending time with friends and family, playing and listening to music, exploring new places, being outdoors, reading books and writing among other activities. You can email him at fjeldjonathan@gmail.com