"I was hanging on" - Chase Elliott makes his feelings known about losing to friend Ryan Blaney as he advances to NASCAR Championship
Chase Elliott discussed his strategy for trying to secure the final playoff spot as he battled closely with Ryan Blaney at Martinsville. Unfortunately, Blaney's win eliminated the #9 Chevrolet from contention.
Blaney managed to win at Martinsville and locked himself into the Championship 4 battle. William Byron also advanced, setting the stage for a thrilling championship battle at Phoenix this weekend. Meanwhile, Elliott, who started second, aimed for a victory but ultimately fell short.
The 0.5-mile track provided plenty of action, culminating in a thrilling battle between Chase Elliott and Ryan Blaney in the final stages. Blaney made a decisive move to the inside of Elliott's Chevrolet, securing the victory and a spot in the Championship 4. Elliott, despite finishing second, was unfortunately eliminated from championship contention.
Given Blaney's ease in overtaking him, Elliott was asked by NASCAR insider Bob Pockrass whether his car's performance deteriorated or Blaney's improved towards the end of the race, to which he said:
"I think it was a little bit of both, a little bit of both, but I was hanging on, you know. There at the end I was pushing really hard to try to get to Kyle. I really wanted to control the race. You never know you get a caution or something what everybody's gonna do so unfortunately just didn't go our way."
"Luckily our car was a little bit better": Blaney on battling battling with Chase Elliott for the victory
Blaney, who won his first Cup Series championship in the 2023 season, is aiming for his second consecutive victory. His childhood friend, Chase Elliott, was also in contention for his second championship since 2020.
Reflecting on his battle with his long-time friend, Blaney remarked on the luck of finding friends early in life and maintaining those bonds. He added that battling with his friend was a lot of fun.
"I’ve been really lucky to have friends that you became buddies when you were children. We’re pretty lucky to be racing at this level today. You never know how things work out, who is going to get what opportunity. We race each other harder than anybody just because we trust each other. You trust your friends and you want to beat your friends more than a lot of people," he said.
"It was fun to race Chase for the win. That was storybook thing there. Both of us have to win. My good buddy. Let’s go. Luckily our car was a little bit better than his at the end," he added.
Blaney will be joined by Joey Logano, William Byron, and Tyler Reddick in the Championship race at Phoenix.