CONCORD, N.C. -- Two red flags were waived Sunday during the race at Homestead-Miami Speedway because of lightning in the area.
Instead of quick, 30-minute breaks that normally occur after a lightning strike, the first red flag lasted over two hours and the second flag lasted nearly one hour. For Chase Elliott, those circumstances were unique.
"Just really odd. I've never experienced anything like that," Elliott said. "It was all good, normal. Just hated we started and stopped for everybody watching."
When the second wave of lighting rolled through, Elliott was leading the entire field. Having to stop that momentum wasn't easy, especially since there were no qualifying nor practice sessions. Despite this, Elliott said the drivers had to adapt quickly and not focus on "what if."
"I feel like at that point you kind of have what you have," he said. "You might talk through some changes here or there if you feel like you're way off, want to make a big swing at it."
Elliott finished second behind Denny Hamlin in the race, marking his best result at Homestead. It also was his sixth top-five finish through 12 races, a personal best for the 24-year-old.
He was close to taking the win, but some traffic jams made it difficult to surpass Hamlin. Elliott said that is something he and the No. 9 team will work on.
"We’ll keep putting ourselves in good position, do a little better job of getting through lap traffic, and maybe we’ll have another sticker," he said.