Chase Elliott’s NASCAR Cup playoff chances took a significant hit after his difficult night at Bristol Motor Speedway, where he crashed and finished in 38th place, yet he narrowly secured a spot in the next round. As the field moves on to New Hampshire for the Round of 12, Elliott finds himself in seventh place, facing the challenge of overcoming recent setbacks to continue his championship pursuit.
Elliott Survives Bristol Wreck and Advances
Chase Elliott endured a challenging race at Bristol Motor Speedway, managing to finish only 38th after being caught in an accident. The disappointing result sparked concerns about his prospects for advancing in the NASCAR Cup playoffs, but ultimately, Elliott accumulated enough points from earlier in the season to proceed to the quarterfinals. It was a tense night with questions hovering over whether he would continue in the competition, but his position was secured through steady performance throughout the year.
Analyst Steve Letarte emphasized the significance of Elliott’s efforts prior to Bristol:
“We talk all season about how you perform in the regular season, how many points you score, and that’s what happened to Chase Elliott,”
—Steve Letarte, USA Network Analyst. Letarte further clarified,
“He advanced tonight not because of Bristol, but because of regular-season effort, the playoff points he brought into the playoffs, and the runs he had in the first two races (17th at Darlington and third at Gateway). I mean, that’s the system.”
—Steve Letarte, USA Network Analyst.
Despite the elimination threat, Elliott finished the Round of 16 holding seventh spot in the standings, positioning him reasonably as the playoffs intensify. Letarte expressed both a measure of concern and a challenge for Elliott, stating,
“He was the driver that I was concerned about, whether they were going to be good enough, because he’s just been consistent, but not crazy fast. You know, he’s the type of driver that’s going to have to be just faster in the next three races to continue,”
—Steve Letarte, USA Network Analyst.
Elliott’s Current Position Mirrors Past Championship Run
This season, Chase Elliott’s path in the playoffs is reminiscent of his 2020 run, when he left Bristol in fifth place, trailing points leader Kevin Harvick by 46 points, but then surged with three wins in the final five playoff races. That climaxed in a title-winning victory at Phoenix Raceway, showing that Elliott has previously overcome challenging playoff positions.
After the setback at Bristol, Elliott now enters Round 12 seventh in the standings, 21 points adrift of current leader Denny Hamlin. However, the situation is precarious: while only 21 points separate Elliott from the top, he is also just seven points above the elimination threshold as the playoffs head to New Hampshire.
Evaluating Elliott’s Prospects at Upcoming Tracks
The remaining tracks in the Round of 12 offer a mixed landscape for Elliott. New Hampshire (Loudon) presents the toughest test, as Elliott has yet to win there, but he has managed two top-five and three top-10 finishes in 11 appearances. Kansas Speedway provides a more favorable scenario, with Elliott recording one win, seven top-five finishes, and 12 top-tens in 19 races at the venue. The Charlotte Roval, which concludes the round, is historically strong territory for him: in seven starts, he boasts two wins, three top-five, and five top-ten results.
The Challenge from Toyota and Hendrick’s Situation
The competitive landscape complicates Elliott’s task. Recently, Toyota teams have dominated, winning each of the first three playoff races—Chase Briscoe at Darlington, Denny Hamlin at Gateway, and Christopher Bell at Bristol. Steve Letarte remarked on the shifting balance between Elliott and his Hendrick Motorsports teammates:
“I don’t know if this is a benefit, but I feel like the other Hendrick cars have backed up to (Elliott),”
—Steve Letarte, USA Network Analyst. He added,
“I always had the 5 [Kyle Larson] and the 24 [William Byron] much faster than [Elliott], but now I think they’re all behind the Toyotas at the moment.”
—Steve Letarte, USA Network Analyst.
Elliott’s current speed matches his teammates, presenting both an opportunity and a concern as Toyotas set the pace:
“So I guess glass half full, the [No.] 9 [has] run the same speed as his teammates. The glass half empty is his teammates aren’t as fast as they need to be. So I don’t know if he caught them or they backed up to him, but either way, they’re all together.”
—Steve Letarte, USA Network Analyst.
Letarte pointed to the team’s determination to find solutions:
“That organization is going to work night and day to try to find what they need. So if it is a similar need for all of the three (Team Hendrick) playoff cars left now that Alex Bowman’s been eliminated, maybe that’s the answer for [Elliott],”
—Steve Letarte, USA Network Analyst.
Outlook for Elliott’s NASCAR Cup Playoff Chances
With the NASCAR Cup playoffs intensifying, Chase Elliott faces huge pressure. He will need to draw on both his consistent performance and past resilience, especially with the strong competition from Denny Hamlin, Christopher Bell, and the surging Toyota teams. Each track in the Round of 12 presents new hurdles, but historical success, particularly at the Charlotte Roval, offers Elliott hope that he can capitalize when it matters most.
Hendrick Motorsports’ collective response and Elliott’s adaptability may determine whether he advances deeper into the playoffs or faces an early exit. Fans and analysts alike will be closely watching to see if Elliott can overcome these obstacles and keep his championship dreams alive.
