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LAS VEGAS, NEVADA – OCTOBER 12: Chase Elliott, driver of the #9 NAPA Auto Parts Chevrolet, stands during the national anthem prior to the NASCAR Cup Series South Point 400 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway on October 12, 2025 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Logan Riely/Getty Images)
Chase Elliott’s NASCAR playoff run hit a major setback at Talladega Superspeedway. The Hendrick Motorsports driver was caught in a Lap 52 multi-car crash during Sunday’s YellaWood 500. The wreck ended his day early and dropped him to 10th in the playoff standings.
Chase Elliott had been running smoothly and steadily before chaos struck. In one moment, the race flipped from calm to catastrophe. The crash now leaves him needing a win at Martinsville Speedway to stay in the championship hunt.
The Crash That Changed Everything
After stepping out of his damaged No. 9 Chevrolet, Chase Elliott described the sequence that ended his race.
“I saw someone get turned sideways kind of like normal, you know,” he said. “Just hoping to slow down in time, and I haven’t seen it back but got turned sideways there somehow, some way.”
“Yeah, some more stuff after that,” Chase Elliott added quietly.
Before the wreck, Chase Elliott said his car was performing well.
“It was fine,” Chase Elliott explained. “The sequence went, we got ourselves in a pretty good spot with the way the sequence was, and we just did not execute that well. “I feel like, as a group, but ultimately put ourselves back at the back of the pack, unfortunately.”
That positioning turned out to be costly once the aggression ramped up in the draft-heavy pack.
Chase Elliott going to the garage with damage from that crash. He will head to Martinsville likely in a must-win situation, although it also depends how many other playoff cars have trouble.
Elliott last week said of Talladega in this round: “It is an interesting place to place…
— Jeff Gluck (@jeff_gluck) October 19, 2025
NASCAR Playoff Pressure Mounts
Asked if he expected the field to get that intense so early, Chase Elliott nodded. “Did you anticipate that the cadence would be so aggressive?” a reporter asked.
“Yeah, stage points are crucial right now, yeah,” Elliott said. “Wasn’t super surprised everybody started to get really aggressive. Unfortunately, they didn’t take it through.”
Kyle Larson had reported earlier that “he felt the 5 was a bit on the slow side,” but Elliott brushed that off as unrelated. The problem, he said, wasn’t speed; it was circumstance. “You know, I don’t know what you do about those situations, right?” Elliott said.
“Like, we weren’t back there doing anything wild or crazy. Just, you know, they get turned sideways and slide into the wreck. You know, so I don’t know. Kind of thinking back through and wish I could have done something different, but I don’t really know what I would have done. I was just trying to get slowed up,” he added.
Chase Elliott Looking Ahead to Martinsville
The crash left Chase Elliott sitting 8th in the NASCAR playoffs standings, according to NASCAR.com. Martinsville now becomes his last chance. “Nothing changed. Nothing changes, it’s all about winning for you, right?” a reporter asked.
“Absolutely. Yeah, I’m excited about it,” Chase Elliott replied. “I mean, you know, it doesn’t, unless we won today, we were likely going to be in a race week. So I hate it.”
Still, Chase Elliott’s focus hasn’t wavered. “Yeah, looking forward to Martinsville Speedway though,” he said. “Got one more shot at it.”
Chase Elliott’s Talladega Superspeedway heartbreak sets up high drama ahead. The NASCAR Playoff just got a lot more interesting.
Dogli Wilberforce is a sports writer who covers NASCAR, Formula 1 and IndyCar Series for Heavy Sports. With bylines at Total Apex Sports and Last Word on Sports, Wilberforce has built a reputation for delivering timely, engaging coverage that blends sharp analysis with accessible storytelling. Wilberforce has covered everything from major football transfers to fight-night drama, bringing readers the insight and context behind the headlines. More about Dogli Wilberforce
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