Chase Elliott is undoubtedly one of the most talented and accomplished drivers in NASCAR as well as for Hendrick Motorsports. Last year has been so harsh for the driver as he missed seven races due to injury and suspension. Despite his comeback to racing, he was not able to find his momentum and struggled for performance.
After the fresh start in the 2024 season, he built momentum by finishing consecutive top 5s in the last two races. In the end, the hard work of Chase Elliott paid off and finally, he had a reason to celebrate after breaking 42 race winless streak at Texas Motor Speedway.
Sound that @DawsonPoolRoom sah-reen! 🚨@chaseelliott found himself back in Victory Lane for the first time in 42 races @TXMotorSpeedway.
🗣️ Hung in there, had a couple restarts go our way, and here we are.
More → https://t.co/WGRTG5gVtL pic.twitter.com/E7o6mTFFTs
— SiriusXM NASCAR Radio (Ch. 90) (@SiriusXMNASCAR) April 15, 2024
However, the day wasn’t a walk in the garden for the HMS star. The race had 16 caution flags which added the difficulty to maintain leads throughout the race. In a recent X post of “SiriusXM NASCAR Radio” Chase Elliott pointed out the hurdles and claimed, “These races are so hard to win”
He further mentioned his frustration when he lost the lead to Denny Hamlin, but in the end, Elliott managed to regain his lead and secure his first victory of the season.
Twists and Turns in Texas
The Autotrader EchoPark Automotive 400 concluded under caution when Ross Chastain spun on the final lap while running second, following contact from William Byron. Byron secured a runner-up finish behind his Hendrick Motorsports teammate, while Brad Keselowski, Tyler Reddick, and Daniel Suárez rounded out the top five.
And when the dust was settling on the track, NASCAR initially had Keselowski P3 and Byron P2. That was a position NASCAR would later swap after checking the replay footage from the finish.
The race was filled with dramatic moments, including late restarts and collisions. Notably, a spin by Ricky Stenhouse Jr. set up a restart with just seven laps to go, but Kyle Larson spun in Turn 2 during the refire, leading to another restart with only two laps remaining. In the final moments, Denny Hamlin lost control in Turn 4 and crashed, allowing Elliott to secure the victory. Throughout the race, there were multiple caution periods, including incidents involving Jimmie Johnson, Christopher Bell, Alex Bowman, and John Hunter Nemechek.
READ MORE: What happened during the early caution in the NASCAR Craftsman Series?
