Hendrick Motorsports Veteran Steve Letarte Proves His Loyalty as Chase Elliott Continues His Playoff March

The long debate is still conversation on whether Chase Elliott makes his move into the playoffs or not. It all started when #9 came back after his injury and missed the first six races of the season. However, he accumulated valuable points after his comeback, but it seems like it was not enough to grab a seat in the playoffs.

After Atlanta, Dale Earnhardt Jr believed that Chase Elliott could still qualify for the playoffs even without a win. But he warned Elliott about what he did at Atlanta and predicted he would need nine points in every race to make the playoffs. However, his next race at New Hampshire didn’t turn out to be the one Chase was looking for, and once again, his chances seemed to shake.

Steve Letarte reveals his assessment of the reality of Chase Elliott

Hendrick Motorsports veteran Steve Letarte and sprint cup driver Jeff Burton discussed the chances of drivers making their moves into the playoffs. When the conversation took a turn towards Chase Elliott, who has seemed to be struggling for points and consistency this season, Letarte believes it is going to be tough for #9 to win this year.

The reason is that almost every driver seems to be giving their best and fighting for those coveted spots, and Steve Letarte pointed out that Chase Elliott has potential, but he doesn’t think Elliott can make it out. But he rather believed,

“I’ll concede that Chase Eliott hasn’t shown me winning speed but I’ll also challenge you to tell me that the fastest cars won every week? because I don’t think that’s true. Um, the faster car makes it easier to win but if you count that guy out, if you count Chase Elliott out and Alan Gustafson and the power of Hendrick Motorsports, I think that’s a major mistake” and said during NASCAR on NBC.

He continued, “I would be shocked if he isn’t in the picture and it’s going to come where we don’t expect it right? Maybe Daytona maybe he finally goes to Daytona and wins like Austin Dillion did a year ago. You know I’m not saying he’s going to I’m just not on this bandwagon that says he can’t, that is not an accurate statement in my opinion”

Well, the playoff spots are so tight that it is hard to predict who would be the one to make their moves to that bubble, as AJ Allmendinger, Michael McDowell, Ty Gibbs, and Bubba Wallace are standing with mere point differences.

WATCH THIS STORY: Ryan Blaney & Bubba Wallace Deemed Favorites by NASCAR Fans to Repeat Jeff Gordon’s Impressive Feat

Jeff Burton Enlist the Drivers for Playoffs

Trending

What Is Left of Denny Hamlin’s Depleting Core After Having to Deal With a Nearly $70 Billion Loss?

Despite 2023 Disaster, Chase Elliott Risks Angering Rick Hendrick by Choosing Alex Bowman’s HMS Banned Tactic

NASCAR Rumors: Corey LaJoie’s Cup Future Dependent on ‘$’ Amid Rick Ware’s Hopes of Tony Stewart’s SHR Replay

Kurt Busch Finally Breaking Radio Silence After Criminal Charges Forced 3-Month-Long Hiatus Has NASCAR Fans Breathing Easy

NASCAR Rumor: Handed $25,000 Fine, Xfinity Star Could Replace Chevy’s Rejected Prodigy

Amidst that intense playoff battle, Bubba Wallace is the one driver who seems to have a stronger position compared to the other contenders. But Bubba Wallace has something like a dark nightmare coming up as he struggles on road courses, and two of the five remaining races are on road courses. Burton addressed his struggle and said,

“What I find really interesting is the races that we have coming up, and when I look at Bubba Wallace, I’m concerned about it because there’s two road course races in there then I look at everybody else that’s what I consider to be the guys that are that have a real shot to get in here probably stopping at Ty Gibbs and there are good road racers and that’s going to put ton of pressure on Bubba having to find a way to be better on road courses.” 

Moreover, Jeff pointed fingers towards AJ Allmendinger and Daniel Suarez, who have been great at Road courses, which further makes the battle interesting and thrilling for fans. But the main question is: will Chase Elliott be able to make the playoffs?

READ MORE: “Kyle Busch Wants Denny Hamlin’s Throne” – Fans Unleash an Unusual Rivalry as 2014 Stat Breaks the Internet