Chase Elliott Chasing Consolation Prize in NASCAR Cup Playoffs

For the first time in Chase Elliott’s NASCAR Cup career, the Georgia native isn’t chasing a driver title, but he is in contention for the owner’s championship and that has left the 27-year-old with a bit of a dilemma.

“I would love to completely take a reset and try really hard to do things way different,” says Elliott, who advanced the No. 9 Chevrolet into the Round of 12 in the car owner’s championship. “I am still going to try and do some of that, but it is a fine line. It’s a tough balance.”

Elliott enters the first race in the second playoff round 12th in the owner standings. He’s remained in contention for that title due to the performance of the three drivers who substituted for him when he was out for six races with a broken leg and then a one-race suspension for wrecking Denny Hamlin in the Memorial Day weekend Coca-Cola 600. While the driver’s championship garners the attention, it’s the owner’s title that’s instrumental in the money each organization receives from NASCAR at the end of the season.

With Elliott’s Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet in contention for the owner’s championship, he notes his team still must perform at a high level. However, he says there are habits he would like to break and things he wants to do better.

“You miss the driver’s side and I think a lot of people just think that you can throw it all in the trash and go and hit a really big reset button,” Elliott says. “To a degree, I want to do that. I want to potentially push myself in areas that I probably wouldn’t just for the sake of trying to make the most of the weekend. But there’s a really fine line, because getting the car through these rounds is a big deal.”

Elliott is treating the playoffs as if he is in contention for the driver’s championship while still working to improve himself.

“There’s just areas that I don’t feel like I’m doing a great job in, and I just want to make that better,” Elliott says. “That’s all I care about, just improving.

“I really don’t think the cars are the problem. I think I need to be better. You look at how William (Byron) and Kyle (Larson) and Alex (Bowman) have run throughout different points of the season, I just don’t think that’s (the car) an excuse. I think I can be better. I think I can do more to extract pace out of our car and that’s what I’m gonna work on.”

Elliott realizes each race is “not just a throwaway” as long as he remains in contention for the owner’s championship.

“We’re still racing for something,” Elliott continues. “So, you got to do that stuff in moderation and still try to perform well.

“I’ve learned through this process that life goes on … and there are much bigger things than cars going around in circles every weekend.”

NASCAR Cup Series

Owners Championship Standings

24 car, Hendrick Motorsports, 3,036 points

19 car, Joe Gibbs Racing, 3,036

11 car, Joe Gibbs Racing, 3,032

45 car, Hendrick Motorsports, 3,023

17 car, RFK Racing, 3021

8 car, Richard Childress Racing, 3,019

45 car, 23XI Racing, 3,014

20 car, Joe Gibbs Racing, 3,014

1 car, Trackhouse Racing, 3,011

6 car, RFK Racing, 3,011

12 car, Team Penske, 3,008

9 car, Hendrick Motorsports, 3,001