In just five races, half of the Hendrick Motorsports Cup Series line-up has already secured their spot in this year’s playoffs. However, for Alex Bowman and Chase Elliott, it might take some more time. But perhaps, the chances of Elliott booking his slot this year are quite high, probably even at this weekend’s Bristol race. Especially considering how good he has been at the track in the past.
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In his last two attempts at the Bristol Motor Speedway, the Dawsonville native recorded a pair of top-10s with a runner-up finish in 2022. The previous year, he led 129 laps in a race (among three where he finished outside of the top 10), but ultimately his day ended owing to a contact between him and Kevin Harvick.
Nevertheless, the 2020 Cup Series champion has the sixth-best average finish (11.3) and also, the sixth-best points score (99) in his last three starts at the Last Great Coliseum. He nearly won the spring race back in 2020 before an incident with Team Penske’s Joey Logano ousted him from contention. However, he came back stronger in the All-Star Race and won it in a flamboyant manner. It was also the only year the event was held at the half-mile racetrack.
All things considered, Elliott is pretty good at Bristol. But is it good enough to join Kyle Larson and William Byron in the playoff rumble? Only time will tell.
Another weekend for Chase Elliott without a Top-10 finish
Last year Elliott missed the playoffs for the first time in his six-year tenure at Mr. Hendrick’s team. And since then, he has not been able to regain his winning momentum. So far, he does not have a single top-10 finish this year except for a P2 finish at the Bluegreen Vacations Duel 1 at Daytona. What will it take for this man to find his way back to the victory lane?
It’s been 37 races since he had last tasted victory. Any driver wants to recover from a slump like this and that too as soon as possible. However, Elliott is a realistic person. He realizes that circumstances don’t change overnight. “I have known that for a period of time now…” he admitted. “And at the end of the day, I don’t know how many steps there are to getting to where you need to go. I think until you encounter that entire journey, I don’t think anyone really knows.”
“But I’m willing to take however many steps it takes to get there and I think that’s the bottom line of the importance of what matters,” he added. But how far will Elliott go to be able to drive his car into the victory lane? We would have to wait and watch.
