Chase Elliott was visibly frustrated after his P15 qualifying effort at Watkins Glen, and understandably with so much on the line. If he wants to make the NASCAR Playoffs, this is probably his best chance at winning and earning a spot. He’ll have to do it the hard way.
While Denny Hamlin took the pole, William Byron is set to start P2. So, Hendrick Motorsports has speed. Elliott acknowledged that and wasn’t blaming his team or the car.
For Chase Elliott, it came down to his corners and hitting the critical sections of the course with precision. He’s won twice at The Glen and had to hold off Martin Truex Jr. to do it. So, he knows what it takes to win and to run well.
“I think the car’s fine,” Elliott said after qualifying, via Bob Pockrass of Fox Sports. “Just did a really poor job today… so, unfortunate.”
Elliott went into detail on his thoughts about the effort. He thinks he can get better. Although it’s valuable, he doesn’t want to look at too much data, either. All he wants is to get it right, and to do his best.
“I’m just focused on where I feel like I need to be better in areas I know that I could have done a better job in and probably worry less about everybody else right now. Focus on being the best version of myself and for our team to be the best version of ourselves, I think is going to generate the best result for us tomorrow.”