Slow pit stop cost Chase Elliott in AdventHealth 400 at Kansas

NASCAR Cup Series driver Chase Elliott (9) is introduced before the start of the Wurth 400 race at Texas Motor Speedway. Jerome Miron-Imagn Images

Slow pit stop cost Chase Elliott opportunity to win AdventHealth 400 at Kansas

By Samuel Stubbs | Last updated May 11, 2025 7:08 PM ET

For the first time in the 2025 NASCAR Cup Series season, Chase Elliott had winning speed under the hood of his No. 9 Chevrolet.

After nearly chasing down Kyle Larson to win Stage 2 of Sunday's AdventHealth 400 at Kansas Speedway, Elliott's pit crew got him off of pit road ahead of Larson. On the ensuing restart, Elliott held onto the lead, becoming the first driver to seriously challenge Larson all day.

While Brad Keselowski was cutting into Elliott lead as the laps wore on, the potential was there for Elliott to break a 38-race winless streak that dates back to Texas in April of 2024.

That was until Lap 195, when the yellow flag flew for Keselowski's flat right-rear tire. Elliott led the field down pit road during the caution period, but a very slow stop relegated him to the middle of the pack.

Here's what happened on Chase Elliott's slow stop. He drops outside of the Top 10: pic.twitter.com/JspulrlQuK
— FOX: NASCAR (@NASCARONFOX) May 11, 2025

While Elliott survived the subsequent chaos that ensued over the next several restarts, he was unable to break back into the top 10 for the rest of the race. He eventually finished in 15th, a far cry from the win that seemed so close at the beginning of Stage 3.

While Elliott has been consistent this season — he's yet to finish outside of the top-20 through the first 12 races of 2025 — a lack of winning pace is concerning for a team that is very capable of winning a slew of races and competing for championships.

Samuel Stubbs

Hailing from the same neck of the woods as NASCAR Hall of Famer Mark Martin, Samuel has been covering NASCAR for Yardbarker since February 2024. He has been a member of the National Motorsports Press Association (NMPA) since October of 2024. When he’s not writing about racing, Samuel covers Arkansas Razorback basketball for Yardbarker

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