With NASCAR Cup Series past its halftime mark, NASCAR nation has now shifted gears and is now speculating about the playoffs and the ultimate championship four. While things are certainly developing steadily, the 2020 Cup Series champ and Hendrick Motorsports ace speedster, Chase Elliott is still chasing his first victory of the season to keep alive his playoff hopes.

Despite having a tumultuous season so far, because of the unfortunate accident that had him sidelined for 6 races, and his ugly feud with Joe Gibbs Racing driver, Denny Hamlin, that ended with a one-race suspension, Elliott’s grand return to the track has been celebrated religiously. Still, his rather lackluster performances did not receive any love from his fans.

As the #9 driver sits 27th in the standings with 247 points and no wins, ahead of the Nashville Superspeedway race, Elliott has now made some rather honest comments about his thin playoff chances.

Chase Elliott Gets Real About His Grim Title Hopes, Revealing His Mindset as We Head to Nashville

With 10 more weeks to the playoff, the battle for points has never been more strenuous. While 2023 has been a great year for Elliott’s HMS teammate, William Byron who has secured his playoff chances with 3 wins, the 27-year-old Elliott finds himself on the opposite end of the spectrum, or should we say standings?

And now with the Cup Series headed to Nashville, Chase Elliott has shared some realistic ideals about his season, saying that it has been a “fun” year. While the optimistic driver shares the obvious facts about the playoffs, he also revealed the dire situation he does not want to be in.

“As bad as the year has been to a lot of people, I feel like it’s kind of fun,” Elliott said, talking to Autoweek.com.

He then added, “We’ve got 10 weeks left and you get into the show, or you don’t. The playoffs are kinda like that. You have to run well the next week, or you go home. So, it’s kind of that way now. For me, I kind of enjoy it. I’m kind of looking forward just to the challenge.” Revealing his thoughts, The gutsy driver shared how he’s up for a challenge. “I think it’s a great opportunity to go and have some fun and embrace the challenge. That’s really kind of where my head’s at.”

Even as the positive-spirited driver shared his thought process going into the second leg of the series, the 2020 Cup champ also revealed the situation he’d rather avoid than be in. Reflecting on the race at Daytona, he said, “I certainly don’t want to go to Daytona (in August) and be in a position to have to win a speedway race to get in the playoffs.” He then proved his point by stating the reality, “Odds are if you’re in that position, you’re probably not going to be much of a threat, anyway. So, we want to be a threat each week from here on and I tend to do that.”

READ MORE: Josh Berry Had the Perfect 6-Word Reaction After Being Told to Sub-In for Chase Elliott Ahead of Tony Stewart’s Offer

Chase Elliott also has a significant suggestion for NASCAR as the summer heat bears its weight.

Chase Elliott Offers a Simple Yet Ingenious Suggestion That Could Be Beneficial to Both Race Fans and Drivers

As the Cup Series heads into the second half of its 36-race lengthy schedule, the drivers now have to bear the scorching heat of the sun, sapping away their energy. Not only is the issue relevant to drivers and crew on the track, but the fans in the stands also have to consider other options, owing to the soaring temperatures.

Considering the current scenario, during his pre-race press conference with the media, Elliott has an ingenious suggestion for the organization that could be a game changer. “If you have night races all the time or the night races are cool, I don’t know, I think there’s definitely a balance for all that but I would certainly like to see more of it,” 

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Seeing his current performance, do you think he will be able to find himself in the victory lane in one of the next 10 races?