Despite Goodyear’s Effort to Shake Things Up, Chase Elliott Stays Adamant About...

Chase Elliott is in a must-win scenario. The Hendrick Motorsports driver is rock-bottom in the driver standings going into the final playoff fixture at Martinsville Speedway. With 43 points separating him from the elimination cutline, the 28-year-old knows that getting his second victory of the season is the only way he will make it to Championship 4. However, that might be easier said than done, particularly at ‘The Paperclip’, as passing opportunities will be difficult to come by on the 0.526-mile short track.

Chase Elliott has plenty of work to do going into Martinsville Speedway. The Georgia native hasn’t won in the Cup Series in 25 races, with the last one coming at Texas Motor Speedway earlier this year. However, the 2020 championship winner will be expected to pull off a clutch performance in the penultimate race of the season to keep his title hopes alive. With Joey Logano and Tyler Reddick having secured victories in the opening two Round of Eight playoff races, only two spots remain up for grabs for the remaining six drivers.

Having finished third at Martinsville Speedway earlier this season, Chase Elliott was asked if different tires and more laps could make a difference this time around. The HMS driver replied in the pre-race press conference, “I think the tire thing is certainly a question mark for all of us that no one really knows what to expect until we get practice laps and just see what things feel like. I think the balance is probably a little bit of a guess for everyone off the truck so just trying to adapt and see what the reality actually is.” Elliott went on to say, “We just got to get some laps and be able to adjust quickly and confidently and get a good game plan for tomorrow.