Chase Elliott frustrated after missing out on final qualifying round at Watkins Glen

Things are not going Chase Elliott’s way so far at Watkins Glen. He was extremely frustrated after his qualifying session in Group A. Elliott was the dreaded 6th-place driver in the NASCAR qualifying round. That kept him from making the top-10 and landing good track position for Sunday.

Given his speed a week ago at Indianapolis, Chase Elliott probably expected more in that qualifying session. It didn’t seem to be anything that was wrong with his car. In fact, he was mostly complaining about what he did behind the wheel more than anything else.

After he got to pit road, NBC tuned into his radio and in-car camera to get his reaction to his own performance.

“I f***ed up every f***ing corner you can f*** up!” Elliott appears to say to his crew chief over the radio.

Listen to Chase Elliott's radio after not advancing to the next round of qualifying. #NASCAR pic.twitter.com/mgIxaVfyGc

— NASCAR on NBC (@NASCARonNBC) August 19, 2023

Given how well Chase Elliott has performed at The Glen in the past, this is a little disappointing. It appears that he has a fast car. He was second fastest in his group during the practice session, but for whatever reason he couldn’t get his lines quite right on the track.

The good news for Elliott, if it is a driver issue, he can fix it. Depending on the driver and the track, it is easier to correct what goes on in the cockpit rather than what goes on under the hood or elsewhere in the car.

Chase Elliott looking for third career win at Watkins Glen

After frustration early in his career, Chase Elliott made his breakthrough at Watkins Glen in 2018. It was his first career win. Then, he went on to win more races that season. He came back to The Glen in 2019, and he did it again! However, he hasn’t won there since.

In the last two seasons, Kyle Larson has been the winner. Ultimately, at the expense of Elliott. Without a win heading into the race, I’m not sure Larson would race Elliott that hard again. Hendrick Motorsports wants all four of their drivers in the playoffs if possible.

Before qualifying and practice, Chase was the favorite heading into this race at 7-2 odds. Those will change, obviously, since qualifying will set the order and give drivers track position over others.

Right now, it is all or nothing for Chase Elliott and the No. 9 team. If he can clean up his driving on the corners, in the bus stop, at the carousel, he might have a shot at winning. He will likely need more cautions than we saw at Indy, too.