Kyle Larson admitted he was surprised by how significantly Chase Elliott's Atlanta win boosted his position in the title race. He shed light on Elliott's consistency, noting how he 'quietly' snuck up on him by grabbing stage points.
Before his win at Atlanta, Elliott's season had gone under the radar for many, as he regularly finished among the top-10 and kept it clean without any DNFs in the 19 starts so far. Larson, meanwhile, dropped to a third place ranking after finishing 17th in Atlanta.
On Saturday, July 12, Larson met with the press at Sonoma Raceway and reflected on Chase Elliott's recent success.
"We've been missing out on stage points. So, we've kind of lost track a little bit there and and others have been doing a good job. And Chase is always consistent, so he's just quietly kind of there, you know, after his win that he had, I was shocked. I didn't even know he was that close in points," he said via Cup Scene. [3:19 onwards]
Chase Elliott braved the wrecks and cautions in a chaotic Atlanta race to grab the checkered flag, marking an end to his prolonged winless streak.
On Saturday, Elliott and Larson both qualified outside the top-10 at Sonoma. However, their Hendrick Motorsports teammate and season leader, William Byron, placed among the frontrunners at third. Nonetheless, Larson leads the two with three wins in the playoff standings.
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Chase Elliott shares his view of handling criticism
Chase Elliott recently opened up about facing public pressure in a New York Times interview with Jeff Gluck. The HMS driver downplayed the importance of outside opinions, noting how he'd rather focus on his team and those he competes with.
"I don’t really ask enough to care to know, honestly — and that’s fine. I’m totally OK with that. You have the folks who are around you — your team and the people you go to battle with each week — and it’s about showing up for them at the end of the day. I have really learned to put less and less stock in that," he said.
After his win at Atlanta, Chase Elliott made sure to thank his loyal fans for sticking by him. Moreover, the result came in front of his home crowd, prompting him to share the moment with his fans in the grandstands.
Voted the Most Popular driver for seven years straight, Elliott has stepped into the role once held by Dale Earnhardt Jr. as NASCAR's fan favourite. With his return to winning ways, he's poised to garner many more supporters along the way.
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