Hendrick Motorsport driver Chase Elliott is in a rough spot ahead of the high-pressure race this weekend at Martinsville Speedway. Sitting dead last with a deficit of 43 points, nothing but a win will see Elliott stay alive in the championship race. Getting into such races and demanding events can be taxing on race car drivers, but Elliott is one of the few who thrive under such conditions.

It is indeed hard to pick an outright favorite driver who would reign supreme at the Martinsville Speedway. But, going by Dale Earnhardt Jr.’s assessment and his high praise for the driver of the #9 car, it looks like he’s backing Elliott to edge out in front.

Dale Earnhardt Jr. highlights what makes Elliott a championship calibre driver

Going against the best race stock car drivers in the country isn’t the only task for the drivers. The grueling playoff schedule gets on the nerves of even veteran racers. But, back in 2020, when Chase Elliott found himself in a must-win scenario ahead of the Martinsville race. He acknowledged the challenge, delivered the goods for his team, and booked his ticket to the championship race. However, he wasn’t done just yet. When the big moment finally arrived, he didn’t have jitters and nervous energy. Rather, he was excited and privileged to be able to live his dream and have a genuine shot at conquering NASCAR’s highest peak. He wasn’t all talk but backed his words by racing his way to his first championship victory.

And now that he’s found himself in a similar situation, Dale Earnhardt Jr., while speaking on Dale Jr. Download, couldn’t help but recall his interview from back in the 2020 season. “It’s a dream to be in this position, that’s the mentality of a real champion… Chase Elliott when he was going for his first championship got interviewed on the racetrack at Phoenix. They’re like, hey man, Bill Elliott’s son is going to the first championship. What’s the emotion? This must be tough. He goes, this is my dream, I’m honored and feel grateful that I can have a chance to do this, and he hadn’t won it yet.”

As it turns out, Elliott has once again reiterated his feelings ahead of the crucial race. “I try hard not to overthink this situation or whatever, and we’ve been in this spot before, so it’s not like this is the first time I’ve been through this or had to experience this. So having done that before and been in this spot, I think I don’t know it gives you a little bit of sense of peace.” Elliott said this ahead of the Homestead race.

Although the fall race at Martinsville Speedway hasn’t been too great for Chase Elliott in the Next-Gen era. He just might be on the verge of breaking the streak of mediocre runs this weekend.

Elliott has been on a roll at the short ovals this season

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A lot of people are banking on a Denny Hamlin win given that a short track oval plays into his strengths. His two of the three wins came at the short track in the regular season, so he is probably a safe bet. However, people are sleeping on Elliott’s streak of consistent runs on the short tracks in 2024.

Fun fact: Chase Elliott hasn’t finished outside of the top 10 in the short-track races in 2024. Moreover, he has four top 5 finishes among those results. P3 was his best result at Martinsville Speedway in the Next Gen era. He’s had everything go his way this year, but the lack of wins is what the #9 team is trying to better. “Our year has been solid… except for the wins.”

Although Elliott will have to look out for himself at this stage of the season. He will have to go elbows out on the racetrack and even rough up his teammates, Kyle Larson and William Byron. Unlike Elliott, the other two HMS drivers are in a decent spot, and therefore he will have to force the issue to keep his championship hopes alive.