Talladega Superspeedway is considered a ‘wildcard’ in the NASCAR calendar for a reason. The 2.66-mile oval is known as the ‘Big One’, because of the number of multi-car wrecks that occur on the track. However, nobody would have predicted the level of carnage that was seen at the 2024 YellaWood 500, as 28 cars were involved in an incident, the biggest wreck in the sport’s history. Amongst the victims was Chase Elliott, who was hoping to advance into the Round of 8 with a victory.

However, despite his race strategy being meticulously planned by the No. 9 Chevy team, it didn’t matter in the end. The Hendrick Motorsports driver finished the race in 29th place and is hovering just above the elimination cutline ahead of the final Round of 12 race.

Chase Elliott is in a precarious playoff position

Chase Elliott knew there was little margin for error going into Talladega Superspeedway. The racing driver was four points above the elimination cutline after the race in Kansas and was hoping to see a significant improvement in performance on a track where he finished in seventh place last fall. Despite qualifying in 11th place, the highest position in comparison to his HMS teammates, the 28-year-old couldn’t break into the top ten after the opening 60 laps. However, his fortunes turned around for the better by the end of Stage 2, as Elliott finished second behind Austin Cindric and looked ready to compete for a playoff victory.

However, that’s where it all changed. Just like many others, Chase Elliott was involved in the ‘Big One’, which severely affected the outcome of his race. Speaking to Fox Sports journalist Bob Pockrass, the Georgia native said, “I was driving where I wanted to be. Thought Ricky and I had a really good system there going. I was really pleased with my spot and I thought I had a lot of what was going to transpire was really in my hands which is what I want at the end of these things. Unfortunately, that bit that was not in my hands ended up biting us but I don’t really know what to do about that. I was in a good position in the second half of the race, we were right there when it counted. I’m not sure how I got clipped, somebody barely clipped me.”

The incident that Elliott refers to occurred when the race had less than five scheduled laps remaining. Austin Cindric, who had led 29 laps until that point, was nudged by Brad Keselowski’s No. 6 Ford Mustang ahead of Turn 3, forcing the Team Penske driver to spin out. Struggling to control his car, Cindric ended up crashing into his teammate Joey Logano, while Chase Elliott, Tyler Reddick, Alex Bowman, and Chase Briscoe were also caught in the crossfire. As a result, Elliott finished the race in 29th place, in a race where only 31 drivers crossed the checkered flag, largely because of the biggest wreck in NASCAR history.

Even though eight drivers are expected to progress into the next playoff round, Chase Elliott cannot rest on his laurels just yet. He is currently 13 points above the elimination cutline, occupying the last spot in the driver standings ahead of ninth place Joey Logano. Charlotte Roval’s hybrid road course/oval track will present a different challenge for the Hendrick Motorsports driver, one that he will be forced to rise to if he wants to keep his title hopes alive. Elliott’s ninth-place finish in last year’s race will give him some encouragement, but the pressure to perform will be on his shoulders at the Bank of America ROVAL 400.

Elliott reveals his approach towards the newly repaved Charlotte Roval

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It’s now or never for Chase Elliott. After securing his worst result in the ongoing Cup Series season, the 28-year-old racing driver needs to perform in the final Round of 12 race at the Charlotte Roval. The 2.28-mile circuit has been newly repaved between Turns 6 and 7 to improve the quality of racing by making passing opportunities easier. Drivers are yet to experience the changes that have been made on the hybrid course, and 20 minutes of practice might not be enough to devise a race strategy to take advantage of the modifications.

Sharing his views about the pavement, Chase Elliott said, “To me, I kind of look at it as a new race track truthfully, and that section of the track is going to change the entire flow of a lap there. So, I’ve been kind of approaching it as a new track in my prep. Have some time at sim and just trying to really just memorize the track and what little bumps are here or where or what typically those track scans are. That’s probably one of the best things about sim that a driver can go and get familiar with is the track layout, the surface content, roughness, and so on.”

With the stakes being as high as they are, particularly for Elliott, it’s no surprise that he isn’t leaving anything up to chance. Even though it’s a track that the Hendrick Motorsports driver has emerged victorious twice in the past and secured four top-ten results in eight appearances, there will be no hint of complacency from the Georgia native going into the race.

Do you think he will progress into the Round of 8 and potentially compete for the title at Phoenix Raceway?