Does Chase Elliott have a Next Gen problem?
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Of the playoff tracks in NASCAR Cup’s Round of 12 races, the 2020 NASCAR Cup champ has two wins at the Charlotte Roval and one win at Kansas (he’s winless in his career at this week’s track, New Hampshire Motor Speedway).
Not an overly bad record, right?
But if you dissect Elliott’s performance at those same tracks—Loudon, Kansas, and the Roval—since 2022, otherwise known as the Next Generation (or Gen 7) era, Elliott has struggled, failing to reach victory lane at any of the trio of tracks.
Has Elliott’s lack of success just been a matter of circumstance, or is the Next Gen car not compatible with Elliott’s driving—and winning—style?
“This is a really tough round historically, always has been,” Elliott said on this week’s edition of the Racing Report with Chris Weaver podcast. “I think whoever makes it to the Round of Eight—really, any of the eight that advance out of the Round of 12—have a chance to win the championship.
“So yeah, this one’s tough, and it’s always been a lot of fun. But the tracks have changed this year [one example: the Roval has a new Turn 7], and I think that’ll make it have a little bit of a different feel.”
How Does Elliott Scout the Round of 12 For Himself?
Elliott basically boils down the Round of 12 to one thing.
“There will be no having bad days, unless you win,” he said. “If you get a win early, sure, you can go crash in the next two if you want, right? But from a points perspective, by itself, there is no room for error.”
Elliott understands the concern by fans or media that he’s not won at any of the Round 12 tracks since the Next Gen car came into use. Elliott argues that even though he hasn’t had wins, he has had good pace at all tracks in the Next Gen era.
“I think for us, though, the mindset is to try and put yourself in position to win races,” he said. “And that’s just kind of where we’re at. We have to go out and push and put ourselves in those positions to try and win. And if they work, then great. And if they don’t, then I think that you did all you could to try and make that happen.”
The driver of the Team Hendrick No. 9 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 indeed is far from secure. Heading into the Round of 12 opener this Sunday at New Hampshire, Elliott is in seventh place in the standings, just five points above the preliminary and tentative Round of 8 cutoff line.
The Opening Round of 16 Was a Mixed Bag For Elliott
After a 17th in the opening playoff race at Darlington, Elliott’s third-place finish in the second race of the Round of 16 (at Gateway) saved him after his rough crash at Bristol that knocked him out of the race and ended with a 38th-place finish, giving him enough points to advance to the Round of 12 quarterfinals.
Former Hendrick Motorsports crew chief turned TV analyst, Steve Letarte, isn’t worried about Elliott getting through the Round of 12, even with his lack of success at those particular tracks in the Next Gen car.
“[Elliott] was the driver that I was concerned about, whether they were going to be good enough [to advance out of the opening Round of 16] because he’s just been consistent, but not crazy fast,” Letarte said on the NASCAR After The Race podcast after Bristol. “He’s the type of driver that’s going to have to be just faster in the next three races to continue.”
