LAS VEGAS, Nev.: With another appearance in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs, Hendrick Motorsports’ Chase Elliott is determined to do all he can to make the Championship 4 at Homestead-Miami (Fla.) Speedway in November.
The driver of the No. 9 NAPA AUTO Parts Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 knows it won’t be an easy road to get there, but he nodded that there’s no easy road when you’re competing at the top level of NASCAR.
Statistically speaking, Elliott is better off in his Playoff spot in 2019 than he was entering Sunday’s South Point 400 at Las Vegas (Nev.) Motor Speedway last year. With just one win under his belt in 2018, Elliott enters his fifth appearance in the post-season Playoffs with already two wins during the season.
With 18 Playoffs points to his credit and seeded seventh in the championship, Elliott was asked if Hendrick Motorsports has closed the gap on Team Penske and Joe Gibbs Racing, the two organizations that have dominated the headlines this season.
While Elliott insisted they have in some areas, there’s improvement needed in others. The adjustments his No. 9 Hendrick Motorsports team makes over the next 10 weeks could determine whether or not they make it to the Championship 4.
“I would say slightly….in certain areas, for sure. Other areas, I think we still have work to do,” said Elliott. “But, I feel like we’ve learned a few lessons in the past few weeks that if we can get things rolling and then implement at the right time, I think we could potentially make some gains. So, that’s why it’s so hard to tell. We might be excited about a weekend or a car build or something, but you don’t know what all your competitors have done, either.
“You know they’re not just sitting there staying the same. It’s so hard to guess. That’s been one of the things I’ve learned the most in my career since I’ve been in Cup, is there have been times that I’ve been really excited about a race weekend and then we get somewhere and we suck (laughs).
“I just don’t get excited about it because until we get there and really see how things go, it really doesn’t matter and we just need to approach each week with the same level of mindset and hope it goes good; because trying to guess beforehand doesn’t seem to do me much good.”
With victories at Talladega (Ala.) Superspeedway and Watkins Glen (N.Y.) International respectively, Elliott knows that his Hendrick Motorsports team led by Alan Gustafson has improved from the start of the season at Daytona to last weekend’s regular season-finale at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, but treating every Playoff race as the ticket to Homestead could lead to the hopes of domination.
“I think our group has worked really hard throughout the year,” said Elliott. “I feel like we’ve had speed at different points throughout the year. Certainly, there have been times where I feel like we’ve been much better than other times. Some of that, I feel like, has been our own doing.
“Some has been misfortune. I think just cleaning-up some of the days that we can control it, I think would be a great thing for us. And trying to be a little steadier. I feel like we’ve been steadier in years past than what we’ve been this year. I know it’s in us and we’ve just got to execute these last 10 weeks.
“Like I’ve said before, I really feel like when we’re at our best, we can run with those guys that you have to beat and I don’t feel any different right now.”
Sure, three of the four Hendrick Motorsports teams are in the Playoffs, with sophomore William Byron and Alex Bowman joining Elliott but for the first time in Playoff history, seven-time Cup champion Jimmie Johnson is not.
The reality of one of the most successful drivers in Cup history won’t have a chance to go for a record eighth is a firm reality for Elliott and his team that you have to try and be on top of your game every week.
And for Elliott, he believes momentum is everything.
“Momentum certainly goes a long way,” added Elliott. “I learned a little bit of that last year. It was nice to get a couple of wins in the final ten, It definitely makes a big difference.
And, you want to hit your stride at the right time and now would be a great time to do that. So, hopefully, that’s the case.”
Follow Chris Knight on Twitter @Knighter01.
