Chase Elliott almost managed to work his way from the back of the field to the front after being sent spinning by an overly aggressive move from Ross Chastain.
At the start of Sunday’s EchoPark Automotive Grand Prix at Circuit of the Americas (COTA), Chastain made an ill-advised divebomb attempt in Turn 1 that had virtually no chance of success. The move sent Elliott, who had been running third, all the way back to 37th, the last position in the field.
Unsurprisingly, Chastain’s gamble did not result in a victory, as the 95-lap race was far from decided on the opening corner of the first lap around the 20-turn, 2.3-mile road course in Austin, Texas.
Elliott, understandably furious, had a heated exchange with his team over the radio, expressing frustration with Chastain’s aggressive driving—something that has become a recurring issue with many of his fellow competitors.
Ironically, just a week prior, Chastain had criticized Carson Hocevar for his on-track behavior, only to find himself in a similar position after executing a far riskier move.
Chase Elliott climbs 33 spots after early race setback
Rather than focusing on retaliation, Elliott chose to put his road course expertise to work. While he has struggled to find victory lane in the Next Gen car, he remains one of the sport’s best road racers, with all seven of his road course wins coming in the previous generation of NASCAR vehicles.
His performance on Sunday nearly mirrored an incredible comeback he made at the Charlotte Roval in 2019. In that race, he had been leading before overshooting Turn 1 on a restart and slamming into the barrier. Falling to 31st, it seemed his day was ruined. However, with minimal damage, he began picking off cars one by one. By the final stage, he had charged through the entire field to take an improbable victory—one he celebrated by purposefully revisiting his earlier mistake in Turn 1.
On Sunday at COTA, Elliott looked poised to do something similar. By staying out while others pitted, he secured a fifth-place finish in Stage 1, collecting crucial points. However, after stopping for repairs, tires, and fuel, he found himself restarting at the rear of the pack once again.
He steadily moved up the order, spending much of the race in the 18th-22nd range before cracking the top 15 ahead of the final caution. At that point, he made the strategic choice to pit for fresh tires, a move that allowed him to continue his charge. By the time the checkered flag waved, he had worked his way up to fourth place.
Though he wasn’t in contention for the win in the closing laps, a late caution or a few more laps could have dramatically changed the outcome. By the end of the race, he was the fastest driver on the track, significantly closing the gap to the leaders.
Christopher Bell took the victory for Joe Gibbs Racing, beating out William Byron and Tyler Reddick, both previous winners at COTA. Elliott’s fourth-place finish meant that four of the track’s five past winners occupied the top spots.
Chastain, who won at COTA in 2022, finished 12th after Elliott passed him late in the race without incident, having shifted his focus to making up positions rather than seeking revenge.
Next up on the 2025 NASCAR Cup Series schedule is the Shriners Children’s 500 at Phoenix Raceway, airing live on Fox Sports 1 at 3:30 p.m. ET on Sunday, March 9.
