Chase Elliott will face elimination-style racing in the NASCAR Cup Series playoffs on a weekly basis this fall, and he explained his mindset after an uncertain weekend at the track
Chase Elliott drives the No. 9 Chevrolet(Image: Getty)
As the 2025 NASCAR Cup Series playoffs heat up, seasoned racer Chase Elliott finds himself in a must-win situation – but instead of buckling under pressure, he’s drawing on his wealth of experience and maintaining focus, even as Dale Earnhardt Jr. recently offered his thoughts about Elliott potentially stepping away from NASCAR.
Elliott, behind the wheel of the No. 9 Chevrolet for Hendrick Motorsports, sits six positions below the elimination line in the Round of 8, trailing the final transfer spot by 23 points.
With the do-or-die race approaching at Martinsville Speedway on Oct. 26, he recognized the stakes while staying realistic: “I think for me, it’s pretty simple. I feel like we’ve got to go win. And if we don’t, we’ve got to have really good opportunities to win, to call ourselves out of the position that we’re in.”
READ MORE: Denny Hamlin was awake for nearly two days straight in wild Las Vegas NASCAR victory celebrationREAD MORE: Richard Childress Racing makes Kyle Busch decision amid unwanted NASCAR streak
During a recent conversation, Elliott broke down the complexities of this weekend’s NASCAR track conditions. “It’s kind of speedway racing in fast motion almost,” he explained.
“Whereas here in Daytona, the straightaways are longer… Everything is just a little further stretched out. So I would still put here in Daytona closer than I would Atlanta.”
He continued, discussing his mindset, noting that being in familiar territory offers some comfort: “I know that you’re just like, well, it’s just another year where we have to dig ourselves out of a hole. It’s not any different than the other times we’ve had to dig ourselves out of a hole.”
The significance of his demeanor stems from Elliott’s extensive experience – he’s weathered close finishes, pressure-packed moments and knockout-style competition.
“Fortunately or unfortunately, this is a situation that we are very seasoned at being at. And I think that… there are upsides to that,” he explained.
While the competition has intensified, with Denny Hamlin securing his position and racers like KyleLarson (+35), ChristopherBell (+20) and ChaseBriscoe (+15) now sitting above the elimination line, Elliott will require more than just steady performance: he’ll need a victory or a virtually perfect weekend.
Chase Elliott is one of the 16 Cup playoff drivers(Image: Getty)
Looking back on the previous race, he noted, “Last week, I don’t think our result was a great indication of just the job we did throughout the week and throughout the entire weekend.
“So honestly, I was really proud of our pace last week and the fight and being up there in the mix and doing the things that we need to do.”
Elliott elaborated on his approach for this crucial period: “I’m gonna try and make my decisions based off of what I think is the right decision at that time to give ourselves the best chance to win. And if it works out, then great. And if it doesn’t, then you have to have confidence in the moves you make … so hopefully they’re the right ones and go on down the road.”