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As we head to Pocono for another exciting race week following Monday’s race at New Hampshire, HMS ace driver, Chase Elliott‘s playoff chances are getting slimmer each week. With the Crayon 301 in the past, the 2020 Cup Series champion has hit rock bottom, requiring a whopping 60 points from 6 races to make it into playoffs.

And with the #9 driver missing the top 10 at NHMS, things went from bad to worse, making Elliott’s situation even more dire. Reacting to the #9’s unsteady scenario, Hendrick Motorsports‘ Vice Chairman and legend of the sport, Jeff Gordon opened up, citing the elements that add to the team’s frustration.

Speaking on the NASCAR Live segment, the 4-time champion briefed about the #9 team’s unfortunate circumstances, opening up a pandora’s box, and exposing HMS’s cluelessness about the inconsistency.

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Jeff Gordon’s remarks expose a baffled HMS team watching Chase Elliott going off the rails

Chase Elliott’s and the #9 team’s precarious situation needs no further introduction. Ever since his return from the snowboarding accident, Elliott has had an unsteady gait. Though the 2020 champ returned to the Cup Series with a stellar performance at Martinsville, claiming a top-10 performance on his return, a win still eluded him, making his playoff chances slimmer than ever.

With 6 more races to the playoffs, the #9 driver desperately needs a win or consistent solid performances to blast his way into the playoffs. When asked about the challenges the #9 team is facing, Gordon simply said, I mean, if we had all the answers, we wouldn’t be having the struggles.” The former HMS driver then went on with his brief explanation. 

“I know Alan and Chase and that whole team, I know the depth they have, I know how the quality that they have and their people and how hard they’re working and you know just it’s frustrating when even when they pull up a great finish which they’ve had in Chicago and in where right before that and it’s like even then I can see the frustration within the team because they didn’t perform the way they wanted to,” said the HMS VC. 

The legendary driver was quick to offer a few pieces of advice, saying, The points will come, wins will come if you are performing well on a consistent basis so that one’s been a mystery because they’ve out different setups in the cars, looking at you know our teammates.” While he offered some words, Gordon also stumbled upon the gray areas, prompting him to say the obvious.

He said, I’ve been through this before on my one you know career you know not everybody drives the same way and so there’s a certain feel in the balance and the way you want that car to react and you know we just have not been able to give Chase what he needs to to be successful and be really be aggressive on the track so we got to find that you know when we give it.” 

READ MORE: “That Opens up for Bubba [Wallace]”: 1999 Cup Champ Makes a Bold Prediction That Could Crush Chase Elliott’s Pocono Hopes

Much like Denny Hamlin, Jeff Gordon is also a Chase Elliott believer

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Denny Hamlin of Joe Gibbs Racing was the first to give his take on his Charlotte adversary. While being on the edge in dire straits, Elliott’s latest rival believes the best is yet to come from the driver. Though he rephrased his verdict from getting into playoffs solely on points to making it through wins, veteran Hamlin is still a believer in the 2020 title holder.

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And much like him, Gordon too has hopes riding high on the 27-year-old, even as he mentions that there is more work to be done, the HMS Vice Chairman speaking to SiriusXM NASCAR said, “Well being in the playoffs is important for every team, and we know what challenges they’ve had to get themselves behind, they’ve been fighting hard to get back into it and get themselves into the playoffs.”

WATCH THIS STORY: Heartbroken Chase Elliott admits defeat hours ahead of the Chicago Street race 

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Putting his trust in the speedster, Gordon said, “I think those guys are very capable of doing that but just haven’t had things go their way. I think the points in the last couple of weeks have been solid. If they can continue to do that, then yes, they’re going to possibly make their way in. I know those guys.”

With the action headed to Pocono this week, Elliott’s chances will certainly be tested at The Tricky Triangle.