It’s fair to say that the current season, even though only two races old, hasn’t been turning well for Hendrick driver Chase Elliott. A tenth place finish at Daytona and then having dealt a blow by his own teammate in Fontana, Elliott will undoubtedly be aiming for a clean and mean race in Vegas.

But having said that, the 2020 Cup champion has again been dealt with another blow, this time by NASCAR.

This is because, for the pre-qualifying inspection, Elliott’s No.9 Camaro failed the inspection twice. As a result, they had to eject a pit crew member, Matt Barndt, the car chief from Elliott’s team.

On top of that, the No.9 Hendrick team will also lose pit stall selection in Sunday’s race regardless of where they qualify.

However, the Hendrick driver isn’t the only one penalized for failing inspection.

Fellow drivers Kevin Harvick, Todd Gilliland, Josh Bilicki, and Harrison Burton have all been dealt with the same blow.

Chase Elliott has a point to prove this season

Chase Elliott will have his eyes on one thing, and one thing only this season – restoring his status as a driver who you can count on winning races every week. You don’t even need to speculate or think twice to determine just how eager the 2020 Cup champion must be to win a race again.

It’s only natural.

Last season, Elliott only took the checkered flag twice. His last win in NASCAR came in July 2021. And for someone with the caliber and promise of Chase Elliott, to have gone so long without winning has to be a concern.

Especially when his teammate Kyle Larson wins races so casually.

So surely Chase Elliott has a point to prove this season and the next opportunity to build upon proving that point comes this weekend at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.

Also Read: Chase Elliott Accused of Deliberately Sabotaging Teammate Kyle Larson After Bitter Fontana Fallout