Chase Elliott's Sprint Cup debut is a ragged, dented affair

NASCAR's future arrived at Martinsville on Sunday, and promptly got knocked back into the garage.

Chase Elliott, defending Xfinity Series champion and son of Hall of Famer Bill Elliott, made his Sprint Cup debut on Sunday in the No. 25 NAPA Chevrolet, and, well, Martinsville and the STP 500 didn't exactly welcome him with a gentle, loving embrace.

Martinsville often resembles a shopping mall parking lot at Christmastime, with cars circling, fenders bending, and tempers rising. Elliott, starting 27th, traded paint with his fellow mid-packers, and on an early restart, Brett Moffitt piled into him. Shortly afterward, on lap 75, Elliott went behind the wall with power steering and radiator problems. It took his team, comprised of Hendrick Motorsports veterans, 69 laps to get Elliott's car back in serviceable condition.

Points aren't the goal for Elliott; experience is. He'll run a handful of events this season in preparation for a full-time Sprint Cup ride next season taking over for Jeff Gordon. It's all part of the most celebrated Cup-level debut in recent memory.

Elliott, son of a 16-time Most Popular Driver and Cup champion, has been a fixture at tracks since he was the size of a Martinsville hot dog. The entire NASCAR community has watched him grow up, and so far, he's exceeded even the loftiest expectations. But the Cup level has a way of reminding even the best young drivers that love and fans don't translate to speed.

It had been a tense weekend for Elliott, starting with qualifying on Friday. Elliott needed to qualify for the race on speed, but rain delayed qualifying. If Mother Nature had washed out qualifying, Elliott would have missed the race. But he ended up starting in the 27th position, and seemed cooler than the subfreezing air temperature on race morning.

Of course, it's not like a terrible first Cup race heralds a terrible career. In their Cup debuts, Dale Earnhardt Sr. finished 22nd, Jeff Gordon finished 31st, Jimmie Johnson finished 39th, and Elliott's father finished 33rd. So, yes, it's a good bet he'll improve.

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Jay Busbee is a writer for Yahoo Sports. Contact him at jay.busbee@yahoo.com or find him on Twitter.

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