Will Chase Elliott win and make the NASCAR playoffs? The verdict is in
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Alright, enough waffling.
Will Chase Elliott save his own bacon with a win this year?
It’s a question that’s harder than a month-old biscuit and one that’s been asked for much longer than that. But, with just six races remaining in the regular season, time is running out if Elliott is to answer in the affirmative.
Before we get into it, yes, contrary to the words of most of the talking heads, Elliott can still “point” his way into the playoffs. After last week’s race at New Hampshire, Elliott is in 23rd place in the standings, an even 60 points behind Michael McDowell for the 16th spot.
THROUGH THE GEARS:Martin Truex Jr. wins, then talks retirement, McDowell owns up, Bell, Gragson crash out
The drivers separating Elliott and McDowell? Austin Cindric, Justin Haley, Alex Bowman, Ty Gibbs, AJ Allmendinger and Daniel Suarez.
Could Elliott outscore each of them, and McDowell, by 10 points per race? Certainly. But that’s not the right question. Can he outscore ALL of them by 10 points per race?
Obviously, that gets a little more challenging.
So, for argument’s sake, let’s assume Elliott indeed must win to get in.
I can hear the golden pipes of Lou Gramm repeating in my head:
Say (he) will, say (he) won’t, make up your mind tonight…
Now that’s a Foreigner even Joey Logano can get behind!
Let’s lay out the cases for and against Elliott finding victory lane in the next month and a half.
Why Chase Elliott will win a race and make the playoffs
Do you know how many times Chase Elliott has missed the playoffs since going full time in 2016?
If you’re still eating breakfast, glance down at your bagel for some help.
That’s right, he’s a perfect 7 for 7 and hey, that’s not nothin’. Of course, he never missed a race during that span either, much less seven, hence why he’s in the pickle he’s in.
Of the six tracks remaining, two are road courses — Indianapolis and Watkins Glen — and Elliott is the active wins leader on tracks that turn both ways, holding seven such victories, two better than Martin Truex Jr.’s five.
In fact, in terms of average finish, Elliott’s five best career tracks are all road courses. As for No. 6, the first oval? Well, that would be Michigan International Speedway, where he’s averaged an eight-place finish in 12 starts and where the Cup Series will be two weeks from Sunday.
Another one of those remaining ovals, Pocono … well, Elliott is the defending winner of that race.
Plus, it’s not like he’s lacking for speed and resources at Hendrick Motorsports. And if you want to point to last week’s pedestrian, 12th-place run at New Hampshire, well, Chevrolet has only won once at the Magic Mile in the last 17 races, with Kasey Kahne being the last Hendrick driver to do it in 2012.
In each of the last two seasons, all four Hendrick drivers made the postseason,with Jimmie Johnson being the last to miss, in 2020, his final year.
Why Chase Elliott won’t win a race and will miss the playoffs
Yeah, Elliott is a…
Read More: Will Chase Elliott win and make the NASCAR playoffs? The verdict is in 2023-07-22 09:03:49