Jeff Gordon & Chase Elliott Post-Race Debrief – COTA (4th Place Finish)
Location: Hendrick Motorsports Hauler, Circuit of the Americas
Jeff Gordon:** *[Leaning against the table, arms crossed]* “Alright, Chase, solid top-five today. Obviously, we wanted a shot at the win, but take me through your race. How’d the car feel?”
**Chase Elliott:** *[Sitting on a stool, nodding]* “Yeah, we were pretty good for most of the day. Early on, I thought we had the balance close, but as the run went on, I started to lose some rear grip, especially in the esses. That last caution didn’t do us any favors either. We needed track position.”
**Gordon:** “Right, and on that restart, you were in the outside lane. Looked like you lost a little momentum in Turn 1 but fought back pretty well.”
**Elliott:** *[Sighs]* “Yeah, I knew I had to be aggressive there, but I got boxed in. Once we settled in, I felt like we had pace, but not quite enough to run down the leaders. The 45 and 19 were just a little stronger on corner exit.”
**Gordon:** “I noticed that, especially in the long run. We’ll need to go back and see where we’re giving up time. Anything you’d change in hindsight?”
**Elliott:** “Maybe track bar adjustments earlier in the race. And I probably should’ve been more aggressive on that second-to-last restart. Just didn’t want to overstep and lose more spots.”
**Gordon:** “I get it. You raced smart today. Another solid finish, and we’re learning. We’ll take this to Sonoma and keep building.”
**Elliott:** *[Nods]* “Yeah, let’s keep digging.”
