Chase Elliott Delivers Heartbreak to His Fans as He Accepts His Fate Outside Playoffs

The hopes are falling apart gradually for Hendrick Motorsports driver Chase Elliott. Bluntly put, the 2023 Cup Series season has been an overall nightmare for NASCAR’s most popular driver. The driver survived a broken tibia and was sidelined from the series for six races, and if this was not enough, Elliott was slammed with a one-race suspension later on. The aftermath of these unfortunate incidents, with pressure mounting after each race, has added to Chase Elliott’s misery, and a victory still eludes him.

The driver doesn’t seem to be struggling with the speed in his car, although his qualifying performances have been well below par. Elliott appears to be finding it hard to gauge his way on the track. Moreover, the reality of his precarious situation is bearing down hard on him, as was apparent in his interview with the Richmond Times Dispatch.

Chase Elliott rests all discussions as he responds to the probability of winning in Richmond

The charismatic #9 Chevrolet driver had started out the season with the right foot forward as he was delivering favorable results in the race weekends, but his snowboarding incident toppled all the hopes for the 2020 Cup Series champion. After missing six races to recuperate, Elliott was handed down suspension for “intentionally” wrecking Denny Hamlin. 

Elliott, who had upgraded to the Cup Series in 2016, has never missed a single race or the Playoffs since then, but the 2023 season might be the exception, as the playoffs seem like a far-fetched dream. Even more heartbreaking is the fact that the driver appears to have succumbed to his fate, as the remaining five tracks have been a tough nut to crack for the driver. Elliott may have notched two victories earlier at Watkins Glen, but that can’t be the only gamble to enter the playoffs.

Speaking of the upcoming race at Richmond, it seems that the odds are not in favor of NASCAR’s Golden Boy—the reason being his past performances in the D-shaped short track. The only time that the driver had earned a victory at this work was back in 2015, in the Xfinity Series. Moreover, Elliott acknowledged the fact that he is not highly optimistic about his stint in Richmond. 

In the interview, when asked about his memorable moments from the track of Richmond, Elliott retorted, “We haven’t done very good, to be honest, at Richmond, but we won an Xfinity race there in 2015, that’s the only time I feel like I have ever been in contention to win.”

Elliott’s best finish in a Cup race in Richmond was 2nd back in 2018. Apart from a runner-up finish, the HMS driver has notched six top-1o finishes on the track.

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Veteran spotter keeps the flames of hope burning for Chase Elliott’s playoff chances

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Elliott has finished in all the positions in the top 10, apart from a victory, that he is in desperate need of. Moreover, prior to the race at Pocono, he had asserted that the “narratives can change pretty fast,” after his consecutive weeks of earning points and favorable finishes, keeping the faint light of hopes alive.

It is surely not a mammoth task for a driver of Chase Elliott’s caliber, but time is fleeting. Furthermore, to assert the fact, the driver has steadily climbed up in the points table and currently stands at 21st with 56 points below the cut-line for the playoffs. Nevertheless, a veteran spotter still has faith in Elliott’s prowess and that he can turn the tables, and achieve the unthinkable. 

In a recent episode of the Door Bumper Clear podcast, Brett Griffin asserted, “I don’t think he’s out. I think based on how he’s run this year, if he gets in, it really doesn’t matter because he’s not gonna have a championship run. Do I hope he proves me wrong? Actually, yes, I do. I want him as the most popular driver that currently buckles in the racecars in America to go out and do well for his team, his sponsors, and obviously our sport as a whole.”

With that being said, all eyes on Sunday’s race will assuredly be on Chase Elliott, for whom it is a make-it-or-break-it situation. If he stumbles to earn a victory in the upcoming race, the driver can surely put out all his hopes of clinching another championship in the ongoing season.

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