Hendrick Motorsports stars Chase Elliott and Kyle Larson went to Homestead-Miami on Sunday well aware of what was on the line. They needed a win to secure a berth in the Championship 4 race, which will be run on November 10 in Phoenix, and they gave it their all to achieve that goal. This meant going hard against each other on the race track.
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Larson held the lead early in the race before a flat tire put him in the wall during Stage 1. He spent most of his time trying to regain the lost positions and he eventually did. But not before getting involved in some drama with Elliott.
The No. 9 Chevrolet Camaro driver had collected 17 stage points and got into a racing battle with Larson with 60 laps to go. He was running second at the time, and Larson, third.
Elliott needed the win more so than his teammate since he had a bigger points deficit to overcome. Keeping the same in mind, his spotter reminded him on the radio that Larson “is not your teammate right now.”
The motivation helped him press harder down on his throttle and he eventually finished in fifth place while Larson spun late to settle for 13th place.
Although Elliott got the better of Larson, the result wasn’t enough to secure a Championship 4 seat. He now sits 43 points below the elimination line with chances of progressing to the finale extremely bleak.
For Larson, however, one good opportunity resides in the coming weekend’s race at Martinsville. He will need to close down a seven-point gap to make it through.
Fans react to the competitive natures of Elliott and Larson
The NASCAR fandom expressed its views on this battle between teammates in response to a post by SiriusXM host Danielle Trotta. One fan wrote, “It’s “Every man for himself” time.” Another added, “Let’s go chase! Can’t play teammates in the playoffs when it’s this close!”
Elliott and Larson are good friends and as close as teammates usually get in the sport. But everyone understood that neither driver could be having soft corners for their teammates with such high stakes on the line.
One such fan said, ”It’s true, though. This is championship time, gotta race for your own.” Another expressed a similar understanding, “This is the playoffs so especially no teammates”.
This is the playoffs so especially no teammates
— Eric Myers ( Rowdy Nation ) (@EricMyers_8) October 27, 2024
The drivers were always clear about their stand from the beginning. Even before the playoffs began they stated clearly that the competition wasn’t going to change how they shared information in the garage. Elliott reiterated this in New Hampshire by mentioning how there were no changes in the team meetings or the data updated to the internal servers.
That said, they also had the clarity that they would be translating their on-track competitiveness into something productive. And that is exactly what they did on Sunday. Both would have taken a lot of lessons out of their battle and would be better drivers for it. The spotlight now shifts to Martinsville, where the final race of the 2024 Cup Series Round of 8 will unfold.
