With an awful Michigan Speedway race in the past, NASCAR’s golden boy is all geared for the much-awaited road race at the iconic Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Despite his precarious position being 22nd in the rankings, 6 positions off from the playoff cutline, and just a handful of races left for the playoffs, the 2020 Cup Series champion, Chase Elliott is as confident as ever, not genuflecting to the pressure.
Speaking to the media before his anticipated road race Elliott was asked about his mindset going into the race to which the 27-year-old speedster gave a befitting reply, silencing all naysayers and proving why is one of the most watched and respected drivers on the roster.
Chase Elliott stands his ground despite the overwhelming playoff pressure
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6 races missed, suspended from 1, and a handful of top 10 performances that gave the fans a glimpse of his former glory, pretty much sums up Chase Elliott’s 2023 season so far. 22nd in the rankings, the 2020 Cup Series champion is still searching in the dark for a much-needed win to keep his championship hopes alive.
Last week’s speedway run at the Michigan International Speedway was nothing but a nightmare for the HMS ace as he wrecked out after bad luck once again ended his day on a bitter note. While the clock is ticking, Elliott needs a massive turnaround to make it into the playoffs to keep his championship hopes afloat.
Though the driver looks like he has hit rock bottom after FireKeepers Casino 400, all is not lost as Elliott himself clarified. Following his disastrous spill at MIS, many fans went berserk citing his championship-winning crew chief Alan Gustafson as the root cause for the trouble, pointing at his hasty decision to not pit leading to a rear tire blow-up that sent the #9 Chevy into the wall bringing up the early 2nd caution of the race.
When asked about the dire situation at the pre-race presser when a reporter tried to spark a new controversy, Elliott traded off an apt reply, saying, “We’re all good, we’re just, we’re continuing to keep our heads down and work and that’s the only way we know how you know for us we’re just continuing to go through our process every week and make sure we show to the racetrack prepared and when we get here, work through it.”
Not only did the legendary Bill Elliott‘s son not genuflect to the weight of expectations he remained dead focused on the task at hand – to ace the road course at Indy. “Work through whatever challenge it is ahead of us and as we get to these progressions make sure that we’re extracting all the information that we need to get myself included too if we dont have a good weekend to improve from it and learn from it,” said the driver.
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As the NASCAR nation is busy speculating the developments at the coveted Indy road course, the qualifying session just again proved why the 2.5-mile track will favor the road racers. Daniel Suarez of Trackhouse Racing got the pole position, crossing the line at a blistering pace – 1:27.968.
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While the #99 Chevy got the top position, 23XI Racing‘s road racing phenom showed his race craft coming in a close second only to edge out Chase Elliott to the third position. With the clock ticking away, Elliott now needs a win to cement his playoff berth and moreover must win to reclaim his legacy of being one of the best drivers on the current roster.
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Though it looks like he has a winning shot with 2 back to back road races favoring the proven road racing expert, his best finish at Indy is a top 10, finishing 7 and an average finish of 6.5 at the track. If we are to leave all that aside, there’s more to the picture than just Elliott or the entire Cup Series drivers. Verizon 300 at the Brickyard will also feature international drivers such as Kamui Kobayashi and Jordie Kostecki making their Cup Series debut here on Sunday.
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With the odds stacking against the driver along with a hungry pack, will the 2020 Cup Series Champion redeem himself with a winning finish and spear his way into the playoffs? That’s the million-dollar question now.