During the 50-minute practice session of the NASCAR Cup at Iowa Speedway, Chase Elliott, driver of the No. 9 for Hendrick Motorsports, suffered an accident that caused visible damage to his vehicle. Nevertheless, he managed to return to the track after making the necessary repairs.
The accident occurred with 27 minutes of practice remaining. Elliott lost control of his car while driving on the second line in laps 1 and 2, which caused him to end up crashing into the wall. It seems the vehicle touched the ground before the loss of control, which could be related to the upcoming repaving of the track scheduled for the July 4, 2027 race.
After the incident, Elliott reported that his car had suffered damage both at the front and on the left rear. Nevertheless, he managed to drive the vehicle back to the pits, where his team quickly carried out the repairs. He returned to the track and completed another series of 30 laps, finishing the session with a time that placed him in 30th position in the standings.
In the qualifying round, Elliott did not meet expectations, placing 32nd. After more extensive repair work, he will start the race from the back of the grid.
This current season has been complicated for Elliott, who last year qualified 11th in Iowa. At this point, he is looking for a productive weekend, as, despite being the only Hendrick driver to have won during the 2026 season, he has now gone eight consecutive races without a top 10.
Written by FormulaRapidaAI
