Chase Elliott is in a must-win situation. With two playoff races remaining at Homestead-Miami and Martinsville, the Hendrick Motorsports driver is rock-bottom in the postseason standings going into the penultimate Round of Eight race. Realistically, there is no chance for the 2020 Cup Series winner to progress into the Championship 4 on points, which means nothing but a victory will suffice to compete at Phoenix Raceway later this year. However, that possibility is looking increasingly unlikely with every passing week.
Having failed to make it to the playoffs last year, Elliott’s comeback season could come to a disappointing end unless he makes it to “Victory Lane” in one of the upcoming races. However, that might be easier said than done according to Dale Earnhardt Jr., who has expressed his skepticism about the No. 9 Chevy driver’s chances ahead of the 2024 Straight Talk Wireless 400.
Chase Elliott will face a lonely battle in the playoffs
With Joey Logano locked into Championship 4, three spots are up for grabs with two races remaining in the Cup Series. As things stand, his teammates Kyle Larson and William Byron are above the elimination cutline ahead of the penultimate Round of Eight race, while Christopher Bell is looking like a likely candidate to make it to Phoenix Raceway.
Given the circumstances, Chase Elliott will either have to outperform his teammates or the Joe Gibbs Racing driver, who has shown incredible consistency throughout the season.
Sharing his views on Chase Elliott’s situation, Junior on the Dale Jr Download podcast said, “I don’t know if people really understand how uncomfortable and how difficult that position is. You’re going to build three racecars in the same race shop and they’re likely all going to battle each other indirectly for a few of these spots. Chase has got his back to the wall and his teammates aren’t going to be in a position to help him, right? Honestly, I mean I know they’ll be transparent, they’ll be sharing information to a point but William’s team and Larson’s team, they got to protect themselves, right?”
However, all hope is not lost. While there might be an element of internal competitiveness at Hendrick Motorsports, not all drivers will be solely focused on their results. Alex Bowman, who was disqualified from the race at Charlotte Roval will be available to help the 28-year-old should the need arise. However, Chase Elliott is clear about what needs to be done in the upcoming fixtures, saying, “We have to win, and that’s kind of where my head was at going into last weekend”.
Joey Logano found himself in a similar position as Elliott heading into the South Point 400 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. However, the Team Penske driver pulled off a clutch performance just when it matted the most to secure an automatic berth into the championship race. In a sport defined by fine margins, could the Hendrick Motorsports driver manage to pull off a similar result at Homestead-Miami for the first time in his career?
While the odds might be stacked against him, it’s not beyond the realm of possibility that the driver will secure his second win of the season at the 1.5-mile track.
Elliott reveals his strategy for upcoming playoff races
Chase Elliott was extremely unlucky at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. He was nine points above the elimination cutline going into the Round of Eight, knowing fully well that the time to perform was now to keep his title hopes alive. However, as fate would have it, he was in the wrong place at the wrong time and was involved in a multi-car wreck with Tyler Reddick and Brad Keselowski, forcing him to retire early.
However, the 28-year-old refused to be demoralized by the result, even though his title hopes took a battering after the South Point 400. Taking inspiration from Logano, Elliott said, “There are other ways to win races too. You look at how Joey won Vegas, and those guys made a great call on pit road, threw a Hail Mary, and gave themselves a shot. He didn’t do anything silly behind the wheel to make that happen. But certainly, you can be aggressive in other ways, and there are examples throughout history there too.”
With lack of speed being a consistent issue for Chase Elliott’s No. 9 Chevy, it’s not surprising that he’s taking a leaf out of Logano’s book. The Team Penske driver was noticeably slower than Christopher Bell in Las Vegas, but a bold fuel-saving strategy by crew chief Paul Wolfe made all the difference in the end.
If the Hendrick Motorsports driver can win one of the upcoming races in similar circumstances, it could inspire him to go all the way and lift the title at Phoenix Raceway later this year. By doing so, his struggles throughout the 2024 Cup Series season will be long forgotten. After all, history is written by the victors.
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