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.

There is plenty of uncertainty surrounding the 2024 Xfinity 500, as the penultimate race of the season will feature a brand-new left-side tire compound, which may affect the dynamics of the race. However, Elliott is confident that his No. 9 Chevy team will be able to adapt to the challenges going into the crucial playoff fixture.

It’s now or never for Chase Elliott

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.”

Ever since the Next-Gen car was introduced in 2022, the short-track package has struggled to entertain fans. NASCAR has tried a variety of solutions to overcome the problem, including aerodynamic changes being made to the car and introducing a softer compound, which paid dividends at Bristol Motor Speedway. This time around, Goodyear will use an option tire compound on the right side, while the left side will feature their softest tires. The objective is to give cars more speed in the short term while increasing tire wear as the race progresses.

To help drivers get used to the new tire layout, NASCAR will allow an extended 45-minute practice session on Saturday before the high-stakes playoff race. Each team will receive an additional set of practice tires to make adjustments and Chase Elliott will hope to utilize this period to ensure he’s up to speed with the modifications. Sharing his expectations ahead of the race, Elliot’s crew chief Alan Gustafson said, “The unknown of the tire, when it comes to the context of performance with the car and the strategy, I expect to be surprised.”

Goodyear shares the reasoning behind tire changes

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The last time Chase Elliott won at Martinsville Speedway, the Hendrick Motorsports driver went on to lift the Bill France Cup at Phoenix Raceway in 2020. However, that was before the Next-Gen car was introduced, which has struggled on short tracks, particularly when it comes to making passes. To fine-tune its tire combinations, Goodyear has made adjustments to its compounds going into the 2024 Xfinity 500, which may work in the 28-year-old’s favor during the 500-lap race.

Reflecting on the tire changes made ahead of the penultimate race of the season, Greg Stucker, Goodyear’s director of racing said, “We come to Martinsville with that same right-side tread compound as part of the setup teams will run, along with a left-side tire that utilizes the ‘softest’ tread compound in our tire lineup. Martinsville is a tricky track for many reasons, not only the time of year we race there but also the layout with the tight, concrete corners. We had a good test there in August and came out of it with this setup, which is another step forward on our short-track package.”

Each team will get a total of two sets of tires for practice, another for qualifying, and a total of 10 sets for the penultimate Cup Series race of the season. Chase Elliott’s No. 9 Chevy team will hope to devise a robust race strategy depending on how the tires perform during the extended practice session and implement it during the 2024 Xfinity 500 race. If things work like clockwork, there is no reason why the Hendrick Motorsports driver cannot do a ‘Joey Logano’ and leapfrog into the Championship 4 with a clutch victory.