NASCAR takes strict measures against Chase Elliott for violation at Las Vegas Motor Speedway

Chase Elliott and the No. 9 Hendrick Motorsports team were handed a penalty during Sunday’s race at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. Named South Point 400, it marked the 33rd race of the season as well as the seventh of the 2025 NASCAR Cup Series playoffs.

Elliott is vying for his second series championship and had started the race fourth alongside Joe Gibbs Racing driver Christopher Bell. During a Stage 2 pit stop, a dismantled old tire from Elliott’s car rolled into another pit box, escaping the control of the tire carrier. In NASCAR, that’s a major foul.

According to Nascar.com a penalty followed, which needed the Dawsonville native to make yet another trip down the pit road for a pass-through penalty under green flag conditions. As a result, Elliott lost several positions and was sent to the back of the field.

In the end, it was Denny Hamlin who won the race, marking his 60th Cup Series victory of his career. The top five spots were rounded off by Kyle Larson, Christopher Bell, Chase Briscoe, and Tyler Reddick. Joey Logano, Alex Bowman, Kyle Busch, Ryan Preece, and Brad Keselowski completed the top-10.

Chase Elliott was left with a disappointing P18 finish, his worst finish since Bristol. Next up for the driver is the YellaWood 500 at Talladega Superspeedway. Scheduled for next Sunday, October 19th, the 188-lap race will stream live on Peacock with radio updates on MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio, 2 pm ET onwards.

---

Chase Elliott opens up about NASCAR’s 2026 Cup Series horsepower boost

On October 8, it was announced that NASCAR Cup Series cars will witness a horsepower bump to 750 at road courses and racetracks under 1.5 miles for the 2026 season. Chase Elliott thought that it was a good thing. He even lauded NASCAR for its efforts.

Reflecting on the same during an interview at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, the 2020 Cup Series champion said (7:06 onwards),

“I think it's a good effort for sure. And I think until we give that a go, who knows? You know, I think it's easy to sit here and say it's not enough or, you know, it's not this or it's not that, but it's something, right? It's something and they're trying. So I applaud them for, you know, for the effort and, you know, trying to keep the engine shops in mind.”

One of the tracks that will see the change is Bowman Gray Stadium, where Chase Elliott logged his first win of the 2025 season. However, that was not a points race, which means that it didn’t add to his bid for the championship. Elliott’s most recent victory at Kansas Speedway made him eligible for the Round of 8, which started with Sunday’s race at Las Vegas.

Now, to advance further into the playoffs, Elliott has to win. And he has only three races to do so, including the Championship 4 at Phoenix, which is scheduled for November 2. As of today, Elliott sits sixth in the championship standings with a 23-point deficit on the cutoff line.