One of NASCAR’s steadiest hands, Chase Elliott, endured a rough Sunday at Talladega. His playoff hopes have taken a heavy hit after he crashed out early in the race. Heading into Martinsville, he has a tall mountain to climb.
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The Hendrick Motorsports driver, who got swept up in a Lap 52 multi-car melee that ended his YellaWood 500 early, is now 10th in the playoff standings, 62 points below the cutline. That places Elliott in a must-win scenario next weekend.
Elliott, however, has a strong record in Martinsville with an average finish of 11.7 in 20 starts, one win, eight top-fives, and 13 top-tens. Still, Kyle Petty doesn’t see the odds favoring him.
“We know that the Hendrick organization can do it. The problem is [that] right now, Joe Gibbs Racing is as hot as they’ve ever been. I think when you look at it, they are putting one of their cars in victory lane week after week after week. They’re leading the majority of races,” Petty said.
“They are doing everything at the right time of the year to be able to capitalize on it. So, you’re going to have to go through three Gibbs cars if you’re going to be the Penske cars. If you’re the other Hendrick car back there, you’re going to have to go through at least three Gibbs cars to win the race. To win the race. I’m not talking about points,” the 65-year-old continued.
“I’m just talking about winning the race… I’m never I’m not going to rule that out because these are top-tier teams. This is the cream of the crop. But it’s going to be incredibly hard,” added Petty.
Analyzing the current form, Petty pointed out that Denny Hamlin, who has already locked his seat in the Championship 4, could stand as the biggest threat to the rest of the playoff field. The #11 Joe Gibbs Racing driver has six wins, 21 top-fives, 27 top-tens, and an average finish of 9.8 in 39 starts at Martinsville.
With Elliott’s back against the wall, Martinsville could be the track for an Elliott versus Hamlin showdown. That would bring out an interesting narrative fueled by desperation, momentum, and the weight of playoff survival.
