Hendrick Motorsports stars Chase Elliott and Kyle Larson went to Homestead-Miami Speedway on Sunday well aware of what they needed to do to secure a berth in the Championship 4 race. They needed a win. With so much at stake, the teammates let go of their camaraderie for once on the racetrack, and pushed hard, giving it all in the bid to make it to the race in Phoenix on November 10.
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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 the rest of the race trying to regain the lost positions. He eventually drove up the field but got involved in some drama with Elliott.
With 60 laps to go, Elliott, in his No. 9 Chevrolet Camaro, collected 17 stage points and got into a battle with Larson. He was running second at the time, while Larson was breathing down his neck in third.
While both of Hendrick’s drivers needed the win, Elliott needed it more since he had a larger points deficit to overcome. Elliott’s spotter was quick to remind him that on the radio. Larson “is not your teammate right now,” he said.
He pressed harder. Well, Elliott would have in any case. But with the spotter putting things clearer, he hardly eased off the pedal on his way to a fifth-place finish. Larson spun late and settled for 13th.
Elliott got the better of Larson on the day. But the result wasn’t enough to secure a Championship 4 seat. He now sits 43 points below the elimination line with the chances of progressing to the finale looking extremely bleak.
Larson, on the other hand, could seal it in the race at Martinsville next weekend. He has to reel in 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, responding 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 teammates as they can be given the nature of the sport. When the stakes are high, both racers are expected and are known to race hard, with each other as well as the rest of the field.
As another fan put it, ”It’s true, though. This is championship time, gotta race for your own.”
This is the playoffs so especially no teammates
— Eric Myers ( Rowdy Nation ) (@EricMyers_8) October 27, 2024
The drivers were always clear about where they stand. 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 in the data updated to the internal servers.
They insisted their on-track competitiveness would be used productively. That’s exactly what they did on Sunday. Both would have taken a lot of lessons out of their battle. The spotlight now shifts to Martinsville, where the final race of the 2024 NASCAR Cup Series Round of 8 will unfold.
