As the 2025 NASCAR Cup Series playoffs intensify, veteran driver ChaseElliott finds himself squarely in do-or-die territory – yet rather than swirl in pressure, he’s embracing clarity and experience, even as Dale Earnhardt Jr. recently shared his theory about Elliott retiring from NASCAR.
Elliott, who drives the No. 9 Chevrolet for HendrickMotorsports, is currently six spots below the cut-line in the Round of 8, trailing by 23 points behind the last transfer position.
With the elimination race looming at MartinsvilleSpeedway on Oct. 26, he acknowledged the urgency but kept things grounded: “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.” It comes after Elliott weighed in on a recent NASCAR change to horsepower.
In a recent interview, Elliott detailed the nuance of track conditions this weekend. “It’s kind of speedway racing in fast motion almost,” he said. “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 added, reflecting on his mental place, that familiarity in this situation is a silver-lining: “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.”
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The importance of his tone lies in the fact that Elliott has indeed been “there before” – he’s navigated tight finishes, high stakes and elimination-style formats.
“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.
Indeed, while the field has tightened, with DennyHamlin clinching his spot and drivers such as KyleLarson (+35), ChristopherBell (+20) and ChaseBriscoe (+15) now above the cut-line, Elliott will need more than consistency: he’ll need a win or near-flawless weekend.
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He reflected on last week’s run, saying, “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 expanded on the mindset for this stretch: “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.”