Elliott wins in Charlotte, Kyle Busch down

Kyle Busch will not retain his title. In the red zone before the decisive round of Charlotte, the American failed to gain positions on the "Roval" of North Carolina and found himself eliminated after the twelve-play-off session. He hadn't been out this early in six years. It is also the first time that a defending champion has not qualified for the eight-man play-offs.

It must be said that the race was special. For the first time in history, the drivers drove in the rain. And there was no shortage of accidents. As often this season, Kyle Busch was there. He hooked up with Clint Bowyer. “ It’s just a continuation of the year” soupire le pilote de la Toyota Joe Gibbs Racing n°18.

“Nothing went the way we wanted, there was a lot of bad luck. The team never gives up and always fights every race, every lap, every stop, but just one of those years without. Afterwards, as some big names would say, there are a lot of drivers who would have liked to have a year like ours. »

He should have spent more time watching road course master Chase Elliott's videos. In five seasons, the 24-year-old driver has established himself as the man to beat in this exercise. He won his fourth consecutive victory in Charlotte, two points behind record holder Jeff Gordon. “The road races have been successful for us in recent months, but I feel that we are slightly better each time, we improve the details. I am really proud of this effort” commented Chase Elliott.

The driver of the No. 9 Hendrick Motorsport Chevrolet beat Joey Logano by 3 seconds to claim his third victory of the season and stay in the title race. Erik Jones, Kurt Busch and Ryan Blaney complete the top 9. Alex Bowman will experience his first eight-man play-offs.

In addition to Kyle Busch, Clint Bowyer is also going by the wayside. The veteran finished his last race in Nascar at the end of his rope, after having driven a good part of the event without power steering. He will now be able to take a well-deserved retirement and join the commentary booth. Austin Dillon and Aric Almirola are also eliminated.

Regular season champion Kevin Harvick maintained his advantage in the standings, before the reset at the end of the play-offs. The Cup Series will now head to Kansas, Texas and Martinsville with eight drivers still in contention, before the finale on November 8 in Phoenix.

The complete ranking.

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