Chase Elliott expressed his frustration following a collision with Justin Allgaier during the Xfinity Series race at Pocono Raceway on June 21. Both drivers, who were running at the front, made contact after Allgaier lost control, causing them to fall back and lose valuable track position.
The Hendrick Motorsports driver was eager to capitalize on the speed of his No. 17 Chevrolet but saw his opportunity slip away due to the incident with Allgaier. Elliott led the most laps in the race and was close to securing a victory before the contact disrupted his momentum.
Early Race Dominance and On-Track Incident At Pocono
Elliott started the race from the pole position in what was his second and final Xfinity Series appearance of the year. Early in the race, he showcased strong performance by leading the first 20 laps, marking the longest front-running stretch for him in an Xfinity event since September 2015 at Richmond. In total, he led 38 laps, the highest in the race.
With 13 laps remaining, Justin Allgaier of JR Motorsports went loose in turn one and collided with Elliott’s car. This forced both drivers to take evasive maneuvers, which cost them their position near the front of the field. As a result, Jesse Love and Connor Zilisch took over the lead battle in the closing stages.
After the race, Elliott and Allgaier discussed the incident face-to-face. Elliott remarked on the situation saying,
“I have a lot of respect for Justin. We’ve always raced each other with a lot of respect and have had equally as much away from the racetrack too. I don’t have any ill will against him. I hate that he made a mistake with me there. Considering it, you know, it has been my last one for the year. The ol’ Hendrickcars No.17 is pretty fast right now, so I was wanting to cash in on that.” —Chase Elliott, Driver
Despite the setback, Elliott managed to finish in fourth place. Earlier in the year at Darlington, he encountered early damage in another Xfinity race but still finished strongly in second place. Meanwhile, Connor Zilisch, a teammate of Allgaier’s, claimed his second win of the season at Pocono.
Using the Xfinity Race Experience to Prepare for the Cup Series
Chase Elliott took the opportunity to gain valuable track time during the Explore the Pocono Mountains 250 by making a late decision to compete in the Xfinity race ahead of the Cup Series event the following day. He aimed to improve his readiness for the Great American Getaway 400 on the same track.
Reflecting on his experience, Elliott remarked,
“It was a lot of fun, just kind of leading the charge there. Being able to dice it up through the field and lead some laps and pass, get some good reps restarting races and being on the front row,” —Chase Elliott, Driver
On his takeaways for the upcoming Cup Series race, he added,
“I mean I kind of touched on it a second ago, just the reps in those positions.” —Chase Elliott, Driver
Currently, Elliott is positioned fourth in the driver standings but has yet to secure a win or clinch a spot in the playoffs this season. For the Great American Getaway 400 at Pocono, he qualified in 18th place and will be looking to translate his experience from the Xfinity race into a strong Cup performance.
