PHOENIX, Ariz: Make no mistake about it, Chase Elliott knows that without his regular NASCAR Cup Series season success, his opportunity to compete for his second Cup Series championship likely would not have been possible.
Throughout the first 26-races of the season, Elliott captured four wins, five stage victories and carried 40 impressive Playoff points entering the opening round of the Cup Series Playoffs which concludes with Sunday’s championship race at Phoenix (Ariz.) Raceway.
But if Elliott wants his second championship ring, he’ll have to find the magic and speed that his No. 9 NAPA Auto Parts Chevrolet Camaro team hoisted for much of the spring and summer.
Because the Playoffs have been sloppy.
Averaging a finish of 16.3 in the three opening races in the Round of 16 which began with a 36th-place finish at Darlington (S.C.) Raceway, the Dawsonville, Ga. native had hoped to rebound in the Round of 12 on the heels of a runner-up finish at Bristol (Tenn.) Motor Speedway to complete the opening round.
Wishful thinking.
The Round of 12 started off in a similar fashion to Darlington with more bad luck.
In the first race of the round at Texas Motor Speedway in September – the race ended in disaster with a 32nd place finish after cutting down a tire while leading and crashing out of the event.
Elliott rebounded in the perfect way the following week at Talladega Superspeedway with his fifth victory of the season and an automatic berth into the Round of 8.
In the penultimate round, Las Vegas, Homestead and Martinsville were OK, but uncharacteristic for Elliott and the Alan Gustafson-led team with a best finish of 10th at Martinsville after leading 54 laps.
Luckily, the Playoffs points served as the perfect shield to carry him through the Round of 8 and Elliott will have the opportunity to reward team owner Rick Hendrick and the Hendrick Motorsports team with their third consecutive Cup Series championship on Sunday.
Elliott won during COVID-19 in 2020. Kyle Larson led the Hendrick Motorsports flag in 2021. Now, the 26-year-old looks to rekindle the magic he had two years ago with the first-year NextGen car.
During Championship 4 Media Day Thursday in Phoenix, Elliott didn’t shy away from the fact that the team’s strength during the season is the reason they are a part of the Championship 4 for the third consecutive season.
“If we hadn’t had the regular season that we had, I wouldn’t be sitting here,” said Elliott. “So, definitely it makes a huge difference. We’re fortunate to have been on the good end of that this year, being able to have a good regular season.
“Have never really had a regular season that good before, so that was great. Super proud of our whole team for accomplishing some race wins and ultimately that regular season points deal. Those 15 points combined with the wins that we had were crucial.”
Even with an average finish of 16.3 in the nine-race Playoff stretch leading up to Sunday, Elliott believes the door is still wide open on who will be crowned champion.
“I feel fine. I mean, honestly, I feel like we have as good of an opportunity as anybody,” added Elliott.
“Yes, our Playoffs has been up and down, probably more down than it has been up really for how we ran leading into it.
“But when I sit back and I look at this weekend, the way this format is, the way the Final 4 works, if you’re in, you have a shot, number one. Number two, we haven’t wrote the ending yet, right? The narrative is there for you to make it whatever you want to and however, you execute your day into being.”
While Elliott believes there isn’t a clear favorite for the championship, he still believes complete execution will be pivotal and may be the difference to winning or losing.
“Somebody could dominate a race and not end up winning the race or the championship,” he added.
“No, I think it all has to go your way, right? Yes, you want to have pace. Having pace in your car and being fast gives you a lot of opportunities in different ways. But there are other ways to win, and there are other ways to lose, too.
“I think it all has to go your way — good timing, good people. Not only in the sport but everything I’ve ever seen.”
Follow Chris Knight on Twitter @Knighter01.
