The 2023 season is unfolding as a difficult period for Chase Elliott. Earlier in the season, the Hendrick Motorsports driver received a medical waiver, thus qualifying him for the championship competition. However, with ten different winners in the last 16 races, the challenge continues to intensify. Should he fail to secure a win soon, he may face significant obstacles. Essentially, such a scenario would mean missing out on the playoffs, ultimately eliminating him from championship contention. That would be devastating for both him and his team.
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Elliott, who looked impressive last season and seemed to get a grip of the Next Gen car better than most, has clear objectives, and those have been pretty much the same since the season started.
Chase Elliott shares his thoughts on his position regarding the playoffs
This season has been a rough ride for the Hendrick Motorsports driver. First, it was the leg injury that had him sit out of several races. And when he did finally return, he found a way to get suspended after his wreck with Denny Hamlin at Charlotte a couple of weeks ago.
Speaking with Fox, Elliott stated, “I feel like the objective is pretty straightforward for us. I’m all in on trying to win. That’s kind of our only way in now — and it was probably our only way in before, too. That’s been my mindset since I got back from my injury, so honestly not really a lot changes from that standpoint.”
The 2020 Cup Series champion might still have a chance although the competition ahead only seems to be getting stiffer.
Chase Elliott desperately needs to win to rank ahead of Alex Bowman and Bubba Wallace
Currently, after participating in nine races, Elliott is 27th in the standings, trailing the playoff cutoff (Alex Bowman, 16th in the standings) by 84 points with ten regular-season races remaining. Before his 34th-place finish at Charlotte and a subsequent suspension, Elliott was only 63 points shy of the cutoff with 13 races left.
Now in a critical must-win situation, catching Bowman seems challenging. Bowman, despite missing three races due to injury, has averaged 6.4 points more per race than Elliott this year. Therefore, he would need to average 32.8 points per race to surpass Bubba Wallace, the driver ahead of Bowman, assuming Wallace maintains his current pace.
Indeed, Elliott finds himself in a precarious position. Securing a victory becomes imperative if he intends to progress into the playoffs. However, given Elliott’s skillset behind the wheel, there are still quite a few chances for him to grasp that one win that would etch his name within the playoff standings.
