Hendrick Motorsports Legend Downplays Chase Elliott’s Chances of Winning: “Why Comeback at Martinsville Is Beyond Me”

The journey to recovering from an unforeseen injury has been a tough one for Chase Elliott to deal with as it came in the middle of the season. However, the Hendrick Motorsports star driver is set to face one of the toughest challenges an athlete can face during their career. Elliott is returning from a left foot injury and will have to get through the exhausting 400 laps around the Martinsville track and win in order to secure a position in the playoffs, after receiving a waiver from NASCAR. 

However, one Hendrick Motorsports legend did not seem to be sure of the 2020 Cup Series champ’s chances of winning on his comeback, on what is believed to be one of the most ruthless tracks on the NASCAR Calendar. Recently, former HMS crew chief Steve Letarte spoke on Chase Elliott’s surprising return and explained why he did not want to bet on Chase Elliott for a Martinsville victory.

Steve Letarte refrains from putting his money on Chase Elliott

In the recent episode of the Dirty Mo Dough podcast, Steve Letarte and co-host Chopper discussed Chase Elliott’s return after recovering from a broken leg injury he suffered while snowboarding. Letarte pointed out that they did not have the betting odds available for Elliott, given the last-minute announcement by his team. Moreover, the NASCAR veteran explained how racing drivers used both their legs for braking and accelerating unlike driving in normal life, where a single foot is used for both purposes.

Further, Letarte expressed his confusion about Chase Elliott & Hendrick Motorsports’ decision to bring him back on a testing track like Martinsville Speedway. The 43-year-old stated, “Why comeback at Martinsville is beyond me. Now. I’m not saying he’s not ready. But you have to push this as the single hardest racetrack for your left leg. The single hardest!” 

Meanwhile, Steve Letarte also clarified that he had no doubts about Chase Elliott’s talent and skills. However, he had some concerns about pushing the brakes nearly 800 times across 400 laps, which could turn out to be tricky for the #9 Chevy driver. He added, “So it’s not a fade. Fade is the wrong word. I’m avoiding Chase Elliott.”

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Can Elliott prove the doubters wrong and win at Martinsville?

Unfortunately for Chase Elliott, he had a terrible outing in qualifying which landed him in 24th place on the grid. While Elliott refrained from blaming his leg for his disappointing qualifying, he would hope to leave an impact and make up some places during the course of 400 laps. Thus, winning at Martinsville does seem like a huge precedent for Elliott who has been out of the car for quite a few weeks. However, given Elliott’s skills, it wouldn’t be completely fair to write him off. 

What do you think about Chase Elliott’s chances of winning at Martinsville? Let us know in the comments below.