Chase Elliott had quite a race at Bristol Motor Speedway, didn’t he? The Hendrick Motorsports driver executed his strategy to perfection in the closing stages, finishing second at the 2024 Bass Pro Shops Night Race. It was his second-highest finish of the season, having won at Texas Motor Speedway earlier this year. While Kyle Larson utterly dominated the race, leading 462 out of 500 laps, it doesn’t take away the fact that on any other day, Elliott would have given the 2021 championship winner a run for his money.

With the playoff round of 12 on the horizon, a prominent NASCAR insider has spoken about Chase Elliott’s performance at ‘The Last Great Colosseum’, which could indicate his chances in the upcoming seven NASCAR Cup Series races.

Is Elliott finding momentum at just the right time?

Nobody would have predicted that Chase Elliott would finish runner-up at Bristol’s 0.533-mile concrete oval. After all, the 28-year-old finished ninth in qualifying, behind the likes of Corey LaJoie and Carson Hocevar. Elliott was also the lowest-ranked Hendrick Motorsports driver by the end of Stage 1, finishing the opening 125 laps without gaining a track position. To make matters worse, he barely made it into the top 10 by the end of Stage 2, highlighting his struggles to make passes in his No. 9 Chevrolet Camaro.

Despite it all, the Georgia native turned his fortunes around in the final 250 laps, taking advantage of long green-flag runs to gain track positions and finish runner-up for the first time this season. Analyzing his performance, NASCAR insider Brad Gillie said on the GoPRNLive podcast, “He’s been really good at Bristol. Had opportunities to win, and you know, in different ways, they faded out, of course.”

Highlighting Elliott’s performances so far, Gillie went on to say, “They literally did on Saturday night what they’ve done all season long. I mean, they’ve got what? Two races? With all finishes inside the top 20, most of those being top-10 finishes, they’ve been consistent. He had that one great day at Texas where they went to Victory Lane but I felt like Saturday night was probably the closest they’ve come since that Texas win to say that Chase Elliott had the potential winning speed.”

Kyle Larson’s dominant run at Bristol showcased his exceptional skill, leaving Chase Elliott with little chance to challenge for the win. Despite both drivers sharing the same setup, Larson navigated traffic far more effectively. When Elliott seized 2nd place from Denny Hamlin on Lap 338, he lacked the speed to catch Larson’s No. 5 Chevy.

Looking ahead to the Round of 12, Chase Elliott carries momentum and confidence. With his playoff experience and newfound speed in the No. 9 Chevy, he aims to make a deep postseason run.

Chase Elliott is full of praise for Larson’s Bristol dominance

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Despite being rivals, Chase Elliott couldn’t help but express his admiration for teammate Kyle Larson after his dominant victory at the 2024 Bass Pro Shops Night Race. Larson looked in control of his destiny at Bristol right from the get-go, qualifying for the race in second place, behind fellow Hendrick Motorsports driver Alex Bowman. Having won his last race at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, the 32-year-old showed hunger, desire, and passion at Bristol, winning the opening two stages convincingly. Such was his dominance that he led 92% of the race, a staggering record to say the least.

Despite acknowledging that the No. 9 Chevy was lightning fast at Bristol, Chase Elliott gave credit to Larson for his unbeatable performance at ‘The World’s Fastest Half-Mile’.

Elliott said, “I felt like our car was really really good. I was proud of the effort and proud of the execution all night. Kyle did a better job than I did getting through traffic and that was a difference. He got a few cars gap on me. There was one point in time where we were able to make some time and I pushed really hard when he was hung up with the 19. You know once he got by the 19 it was going to be really tough.”

With seven races left in the season, Chase Elliott has a solid shot at a title run. Currently sitting seventh in the drivers’ standings, he trails teammate Kyle Larson by 33 points. To stay in contention for the championship race in Phoenix, consistency will be key. Once there, anything can happen on the 1-mile oval.

Could Elliott break free from Larson’s shadow and finally lift the elusive Cup Series title this year?