“Feeling the Pressure”: Chase Elliott’s Desperation Increases as Hendrick Motorsports Improves, Leaving Him Behind

Watkins Glen was a contradictory affair for Hendrick Motorsports. On the one hand, William Byron brought home his fourth win of the season with a brilliant drive. However, their star driver Chase Elliott failed to even finish the race as he ran out of gas.

With this, another event was added to the list of devastating outings that Elliott has had this year. The season has been a forgettable one for the 2020 Cup Series champion. Despite there being one race left on the calendar, according to many, Elliott has near zero chances of qualifying for the playoffs. However, some experts feel that the reason behind his failures is that the #9 team crumbled under pressure repeatedly. The latest such instance was seen at Watkins Glen when an embarrassing miscalculation resulted in a 32nd-place finish for Elliott.

Crumbling under pressure: Dale Jarret sums up the season for Chase Elliott and his team

After a magnificent season last year which saw him win the regular championship, all eyes were on Chase Elliott. It was expected that the Cup champion would be fighting for yet another title. However, things changed real quick as Elliott suffered from an accident at the beginning of the season. The incident resulted in taking him out of competition for six weeks.

Finally, when he returned, it was obvious that getting a win was his only way of booking a playoff spot. Throughout the season, two other HMS aces, William Byron and Kyle Larson, have performed exceedingly well. Nevertheless, for the #9 team, whenever they look in good shape, some unfortunate event ends up causing them the win.

In a recent video podcast, NASCAR analyst Dale Jarrett summed up the situation in the best way. When he was asked if the failure at Watkins was a result of pressure, Jarrett said “I think you could definitely put this on feeling the pressure. And I don’t think this is the only race this has happened to this driver [Chase Elliott] and this team.”

Watch this Story: Chase Elliott Falling Far Behind His Hendrick Motorsports Teammate Could Make Things Uncomfortable

Unfamiliarity with pressure has resulted in the #9 team’s downfall

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Chase Elliott and his team have been one of the most dominating forces in the Cup Series for the past few seasons. Elliott has comfortably made it into the playoffs in every season he has driven as a full-timer. This is the first time Elliott and his team are facing such kind of pressure. Despite knowing the true potential of their car, they have failed to win a race.

Chase Elliott usually wins a race while entering the final races of the season. However, this time around things have been completely different and we have seen the #9 team succumbing to all the pressure. In the interview, even Dale Jarrett said, “I don’t think this has ever happened to this driver and this team.”

Nevertheless, despite all the odds being stacked against him we are still left with one race. It would take something more than luck for Elliott to be able to win the race at Daytona next weekend. The pressure will be at an all-time high for team nine at the grandest stage of the calendar. However, a diamond only earns its sparkle from the pressure it endures which is why it will be interesting to see if Elliott can prove himself on the final step. What do you think?

Read More: Chase Elliott’s Lack of Confidence Heading to Daytona Raises Some Eyebrows