Dale Earnhardt Jr. makes it clear why he’s confident in Chase Elliott, Kyle Larson, William Byron, and Alex Bowman despite the Darlington disaster

NASCAR Clash at the Coliseum - Source: Getty
Kyle Larson, driver of the #5 HendrickCars.com Chevrolet, Alex Bowman, driver of the #48 Ally Chevrolet, William Byron, driver of the #24 RaptorTough.com Chevrolet, and Chase Elliott, driver of the #9 NAPA Auto Parts Chevrolet, of Hendrick Motorsports stands onstage during driver intros prior to the NASCAR lash at the Coliseum at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum on February 05, 2023- Source: Getty

Chase Elliott and his Hendrick Motorsports teammates had a rough outing at Darlington, but Dale Earnhardt Jr. explained why he still has confidence in them. In a clip posted by Dirty Mo Media on X, Earnhardt broke down the disappointing results and shared why he believes Elliott, Kyle Larson, William Byron, and Alex Bowman will bounce back.

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In the clip, Earnhardt pointed out the disappointing finishes: Chase Elliott 17th, Larson 19th, Byron 21st, and Bowman 31st. Still, he said he does not expect to see the same result next week. His confidence comes from team owner Rick Hendrick’s leadership. Earnhardt said,

"Rick Hendrick has a unique ability to call everybody in on the carpet and ask for things to get better, and they always get better. Nobody stays on top forever, and even the best teams will have really, really rough days, but I’ve been in that room after a race like that, and Rick will say what he’ll have today, and it’ll influence you to go out there and make sure you’re not the weak link."
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He added, "He’ll challenge everybody to make a gain. When you think there is nothing else to find, there is not another 2% or 5% to learn, and they go and get it. He doesn’t get loud; he doesn’t raise his voice at all, but it's a very serious "I’m disappointed, and I’m here to be a loser or failure." That’s not what we’re about, and it’s pretty impactful."
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The Southern 500 was tough for all four Hendrick drivers. William Byron’s crew chief, Rudy Fugle, told his team after the race,

β€œWe’re embarrassed. We’ve got to execute a lot better all around.” (via Motorsports.com)

Kyle Larson had one of the strongest cars early, scoring 12 stage points, but contact damaged his splitter and dropped him to 19th. Chase Elliott fought back from a slow pit stop but lacked speed and finished 17th. Alex Bowman had pit gun issues that cost him 40 seconds on pit road and ended up 31st.

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Chase Elliott sees room for recovery in the playoffs

After the race, Chase Elliott spoke to Bob Pockrass of Fox Sports about his outlook. Elliott started the Southern 500 from 21st after a tough qualifying session, where he was more than half a second behind pole-sitter Denny Hamlin.

During the race, Chase Elliott made contact with Carson Hocevar multiple times, had pit stop issues, went a lap down, and recovered only enough to finish 17th. Despite the problems, Elliott said he believes the playoffs give teams enough time to recover.

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β€œYou’re talking about 10 races. A lot of racing. That’s enough time to be really good for a stretch, to be really bad for a stretch, and then get really good again,” he told Fox Sports.
He added that his focus is on improving each week, β€œFor me personally, it’s what can I do this week to be better when we get to the racetrack on Saturday? And how can my Saturday help us on Sunday?”

While Darlington was a setback, Chase Elliott believes Hendrick Motorsports has the leadership and experience to adjust and improve. His next chance comes at the Enjoy Illinois 300 at World Wide Technology Raceway on September 7, where he will try to get a stronger finish and secure his playoff run.

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Edited by Tushhita Barua
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