Chase Elliott faces a critical moment in his playoff journey. With only two playoff races left—at Homestead-Miami and Martinsville—the Hendrick Motorsports driver finds himself in a make-or-break position. As he sits at the bottom of the postseason standings heading into the second race of the Round of Eight, his only hope to advance to the Championship 4 lies in securing a win. Realistically, Elliott has no path forward based on points, which makes a victory essential if he hopes to compete at Phoenix Raceway in the final round. However, with each race, that goal seems harder to reach.
Last season, Elliott missed the playoffs entirely, and while this year started with higher hopes, his comeback season could end in disappointment without a breakthrough in the coming races. NASCAR legend Dale Earnhardt Jr. recently weighed in on Elliott’s challenging position, expressing doubts about the No. 9 Chevy driver’s chances in the Straight Talk Wireless 400.
With Joey Logano already secured in the Championship 4, only three spots remain, and Elliott’s teammates, Kyle Larson and William Byron, currently hold positions above the elimination line heading into Homestead-Miami. Meanwhile, Christopher Bell from Joe Gibbs Racing has shown consistent performance, positioning him as a strong contender for Phoenix. To advance, Elliott would need to either surpass his teammates or outpace Bell, which is no easy task given their current form.
On his podcast, the *Dale Jr. Download*, Earnhardt Jr. highlighted how tough this situation is, explaining, “I don’t know if people really understand how uncomfortable and challenging that position is. You’ve got three cars from the same shop that could be competing indirectly for those remaining spots. Chase has his back against the wall, and his teammates, while sharing some information, are ultimately going to focus on their own interests. William’s and Larson’s teams have to look out for themselves too.”
It’s a tense environment, and Elliott faces a lonely road to “Victory Lane.” Whether he can pull off a win against both his teammates and other playoff contenders is yet to be seen.
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Dale Earnhardt Jr. Shuts Down Chase Elliott With a Harsh Verdict
