After struggling in Atlanta, Joe Gibbs and his team are under massive pressure this weekend. As the Cup Series moves to the second race of the playoffs, the stakes only get higher. This weekend at Watkins Glen, we could see an interesting clash between JGR and Hendrick Motorsports. With HMS holding an amazing record at The Glen in the recent past, it’s all poised for an interesting encounter. More importantly, it is a chance for Chase Elliott to overcome his misery from last year.

The 2023 Cup Series season was forgettable in many regards to Elliott. Having missed several races through injuries and suspension, he missed out on qualifying for the playoffs. It only got worse when he ran out of fuel at Watkins Glen last year while running inside the top 10. Unquestionably, the 28-year-old would want to overcome that with a win this weekend unless one of Joe Gibbs’ underperforming drivers turns up in form.

Chase Elliott faces an underrated threat from Joe Gibbs’ out-of-form star

The Glen holds a special place in the hearts of Hendrick Motorsports fans. Having won three races in the last four races there, Rick Hendrick’s teams are undoubtedly the favorites to triumph on Sunday. While Kyle Larson has won twice in nine races, Chase Elliott has won twice in seven races at Watkins Glen International.

What makes Elliott’s record more special is how he has ended up in the top five four times in seven races. As per driveraverags.com, his average finish of 9.4 makes the 2020 Cup Series champion one to look out for on Sunday. Having said that, Chase Elliott will have to be wary of Joe Gibbs’ struggling driver at Watkins Glen. That driver would be none other than Martin Truex Jr.

After showing plenty of promise in the early stages of the 2024 campaign, Truex Jr has struggled immensely in the Cup Series. Surprisingly, the #19 driver has finished in the top ten only once since the race in Nashville in late June. What makes it worse is that his last top-five finish came in early May while racing in Kansas.

For a driver of Martin Truex Jr’s caliber, it is certainly a shocking form. What would worry Joe Gibbs is that the retiring driver has finished 24th or worse in ten of the last 13 races. In fact, he has finished outside the top 20 in the last six races, including the P35 finish in Atlanta last Sunday. No wonder why he has looked cranky in recent times. Now, he sits 19 points below the cutline, desperately inching to make his chance at Watkins Glen or Bristol count.

Despite his poor form, there’s no telling that Truex Jr couldn’t shine at Watkins Glen this weekend. He won at The Glen in 2017 and held an average finish of 10.6 in 17 starts. Not to forget, he has finished runner-up both in 2018 and 2019. Clearly, he knows the track well and could easily become a thorn in Chase Elliott’s of redeeming himself at Watkins Glen on Sunday.

In fact, NASCAR’s new experiment could be of help to Martin Truex Jr on the weekend.

Martin Truex Jr is relying on his strengths to triumph at Watkins Glen International

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The second race of the playoff race is all set to witness a new tire compound courtesy of Goodyear. Back in June this year, Austin Cindric, Tyler Reddick, and Daniel Suarez participated in the tire test. While the test saw the tires lose approximately two to five seconds’ worth of lap time over the tire’s life, it is interesting to see how they turn out on Sunday.

This experiment comes in Goodyear’s efforts to introduce more fall-offs. While the hope is to have better passing opportunities for drivers, Martin Truex Jr certainly looked excited about the prospect. As reported by NASCAR.com, he said, “I think it’ll be a good thing for me, personally. I think it’ll be a good thing for passing. Watkins Glen is so fast that when we were there the last few years with no tire fall-off, you can’t get close enough to a guy to make a pass.”

If the tires work as intended, it could surely work out to Truex Jr’s strengths. However, it all comes down to having a good car. In recent times, the #19 car hasn’t looked near to its best. In fact, it was one of the primary reasons why Martin Truex Jr struggled in Atlanta despite having an interesting run in the first 60 laps.

The 44-year-old explained how a good car and the new tires could do wonders at Watkins Glen this weekend. He said, “It’s simple physics, right? You go up through the esses and lose five-to-six car lengths, it’s over. So, it’s going to help us be able to make passes, especially if your car is good and that’s what we need at those kinds of places.”

Now, it all comes down to how the #19 prepares for Sunday. Should Martin Truex Jr have a good car, he could spoil Chase Elliott and other Hendrick Motorsports drivers’ day. This only makes the upcoming playoff race an interesting watch with so much likely to happen.