Elliott laments Daytona win that slipped away

Chase Elliott was three laps away from starting the 59th annual Daytona 500 on the pole and ending it in Victory Lane.

Instead, the tank ran dry, ending Elliott's chances of going three-for-three in Speedweeks after capturing the pole and a win in his Can-Am Duel qualifying race. He coasted to a 14th-place finish.

Elliott led the second-most laps Sunday (39) and was in control of his first Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series win after taking the lead on Lap 175 of 200. But when his No. 24 NAPA Chevrolet stuttered while at the front of the field, it was just enough to open the door for Martin Truex Jr., Kyle Larson and Kurt Busch among others.

"It was a disappointing finish to a good day," said Elliott, who made a quick post-race exit. "Just one of those things you can't do anything about. I'm happy with how the NAPA team performed, and we're going to learn from it. I'm proud of how hard everyone worked all week. We're looking forward to getting back at it in Atlanta."

Third-place finisher AJ Allmendinger, one of the most emotional drivers on the circuit, could understand what Elliott must have been feeling. Chances to win the Daytona 500 are hard to come by. Plus, Elliott had the race's dominant car.

"It's hard," Allmendinger said. "At times, yes, it's our job [to talk to the media]. We got to go about it the right away. Sometimes we don't. In the end it's our passion, it's what we live off of. I can completely understand that.

"At that point, you're not going to say anything good. What are you going to say, 'Oh, shucks. Try it next time. Go to Atlanta?' So I understand."

In 2016, Elliott also started on the Daytona 500 before going on to do everything but win a race. In capturing Rookie of the Year honors, Elliott finished 10th in points with 17 top-10 finishes and 358 laps led. But the near misses of getting to victory lane brought out a characteristic in Elliott that many quickly noticed: how hard on himself he was.

Sunday's runner-up Ryan Blaney has competed alongside Elliott for many years and knows as well as anyone how much blame Elliott puts on himself. That's the way he is, Blaney said. He wants to do well, and a driver can get down on himself or herself when victories – even if they're not of his or her doing – slip away.

"He's going to win tons of races in his career," Blaney said. "He had a great shot to win that race. He was the best car that could control both lanes. You saw that in the Duels. You saw that today. He could really keep both lanes at bay. Not many other cars could do that today.

"I can understand his disappointment, for sure. You're leading the race. Looks like you're going to win the Daytona 500. You know how he is, he's very hard on himself. But it wasn't his fault today at all. You can't help when you run out of gas."