Chase Elliott’s hopes of securing a victory at Kansas Speedway on Sunday were dashed by a single pit stop miscue during the AdventHealth 400, resulting in a disappointing 15th-place finish for the No. 9 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet.
Elliott showcased impressive speed throughout the weekend, qualifying ninth and surging to second place at the end of both stages. A strong pit stop at the end of Stage 2 propelled him to the lead for the final stage restart, where he successfully fended off challenges from teammate Kyle Larson and RFK Racing’s Brad Keselowski.
However, a flat tire for Keselowski at Lap 195 triggered a caution flag and an ensuing round of pit stops that ultimately played a pivotal role in determining the race’s outcome. As Elliott led the field to pit road, his crew encountered a critical error when jackman TJ Semke dropped the jack a millisecond too early, before rear-tire changer Chad Avrit had secured the right-rear wheel. The mistake forced Semke to re-jack the vehicle, causing Elliott to spend over 14 seconds in the pit box – a costly delay in the fast-paced world of NASCAR.
As a result, Elliott plummeted from the lead to 16th place and never fully recovered. Despite working his way back up to 12th in the closing laps, he ultimately finished 15th after being passed by Todd Gilliland, Corey Heim, and Noah Gragson.
Despite the disappointing result, there were positives for Elliott, crew chief Alan Gustafson, and the No. 9 team to take away from the weekend. Elliott led 29 laps and averaged a fourth-best 6.37 running position, according to NASCAR’s loop data. He also ranked third in Defense Rating, with the fifth-best Speed Rating and seventh-best Passing Rating, per NASCAR Insights.
“It was great for the 9 this weekend,” said Chad Knaus, Hendrick Motorsports’ vice president of competition. “They unloaded, they were good. Chase had very favorable comments about the race car straight out of the gate, which was really nice. I know that Alan and Chase are digging in deep and working extremely hard with their team to try to make sure that they do that on a weekly basis, because when they do, they execute very well.”
Knaus acknowledged the impact of the pit stop error on Elliott’s chances, stating, “It’s unfortunate that issue happened today because I think we’d be sitting here with them easily in the top five with the pace that they had. But it only takes one hiccup and it can derail your day. So we’ve got to keep working on those things. But as long as they continue to bring good race cars and fast race cars and execute at a high level, they’re going to be where we need them.”
The pit stop sequence that proved costly for Elliott also affected other drivers, with Christopher Bell and Chase Briscoe benefiting, while Denny Hamlin suffered a mechanical failure. In the end, it was Kyle Larson who emerged as the dominant force, leading 221 of 267 laps to secure his third Kansas win.
