Chase Elliott doesn’t hold back on what he hated about the No.9 team’s strategy at New Hampshire

Chase Elliott wasn't pleased with the No.9 team's pit strategy for the Mobil 1 301 at New Hampshire Motor Speedway. The Hendrick Motorsports driver explained how pitting for track position would've led to a better result.

Elliott had a poor start among the backmarkers, but managed to make up places and get himself among the top-10 by Stage 2. The Fords from Team Penske were the most efficient at tire management and remained up front throughout the race.

During the final stage, however, Cody Ware's spin brought out the caution. While most leaders pit for fresh rubber, Elliott and Josh Berry stayed out. Notably, Elliott was on 12-lap old tires at the time and couldn't hold off Penske's Joey Logano. Nonetheless, he was able to keep Christopher Bell at bay and settled for a fifth-place result.

Reflecting on the missed opportunity, Elliott had this to say (via NBC Sports),

"The day was good for the No. 9 Chevy team. Just hate we had to not pit for track position because you want to be up there in the mix. But the way it all worked out, we got some stage points there in Stage Two and got a good result with a top-five finish. We’ll go to Kansas (Speedway) and try it again. No, there’s no such thing as being safe in this deal. We’ll just lay it out there again next weekend and hope for the best.”

Chase Elliott remains in his seventh-place playoff standing. The Georgian native is 14 points to the good, while Chase Briscoe trails him by two points. Elliott's HMS teammate, William Byron, finished third during Sunday's(September 21) race and is now second in the playoff standings, and Ryan Blaney, who won the 301-lap event, sits atop the table and is through to the final eight.

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Chase Elliott explains the 'name of the game' in winning races

Chase Elliott recently sat down for an interview with Fox reporter Chris Weaver and reflected on the importance of track position. The No.9 driver highlighted the evenly stacked field and noted how any of the frontrunners can win in such a case.

"That's kind of the name of the game nowadays. Everybody's pretty close and you know, you get those top five or six guys and throughout a race and you give them the lead at the right time, they're probably going to win, you know. So, you just want to be in the mix there to have a shot," Elliott said. [7:40 onwards]

Chase Elliott now heads to Kansas Speedway for the Hollywood Casino 400. The 267-lap event had him finishing outside the top-10 during his last outing. His last win at the track comes from a 2018 race.