“I Am Not Here for the Drama or Theatrics”: Chase Elliott Asserts His Focus Ahead of Crunch NASCAR Race

One of the biggest storylines in NASCAR right now is Chase Elliott and his chances of making it into the playoffs. Last weekend, Elliott came awfully close to winning the race at IMS but ended up finishing in 2nd place. This Sunday, he has another shot at getting that win and booking his ticket to the next round of the season in what has been, a disappointing year for the Hendrick driver.

But despite his situation, his year, and the stakes involved heading into Watkins Glen, Chase Elliott isn’t focused on the storylines or the drama. The #9 driver clearly described where his focus is and how he views the situation he has found himself in this year.

Chase Elliott isn’t here for the drama, claims he isn’t in a strange territory

Ahead of the race at Watkins Glen this weekend, Elliott opened up on how he views the situation surrounding his playoff chances. The #9 driver emphasized that he’s going to continue going about his business, as he always has, which is to be prepared and do the best they can as a team.

“I am not here for the drama or theatrics. I just want to do the best job I can for our team,” he claimed.

Elliott later added how he’s been doing this for long enough that this situation isn’t fazing him in a newer or a stranger way than what he’s used to. “We’ve been doing this for a long time,” Elliott said. “We’ve ridden the roller-coaster for a few years now. So this is not uncharted territory, being in a bad position and having to go and do well. We’ve failed before. You learn lessons through all those situations, and I think they make you better.”

“Everybody is fine. We all know what our jobs are. We try to keep things very simple, so nothing changes.”

Elliott showed promise in practice, but had a disappointing qualifying at the Glen

Given his record at Watkins Glen in the past, the road course is being seen by many as the racetrack where Elliott gets his first win of the year, especially considering his performance at Indy last week. And that may turn out to be the case in the end, but his chances of winning took a hit after the qualifying session.

Elliott, who had shown a lot of pace in practice, at the end of the qualifying session, stood in 15th place. Among all the four drivers who are fighting for that last playoff spot, the #9 driver ranked in third place in terms of the position he’ll start the race in on Sunday.

But nevertheless, his talent and his record speak for themselves when it comes to road courses. And given what’s at stake, Elliott might just hit a home run on Sunday.