With all the highs and lows, tears and laughter, the regular season of the Cup Series is set to pull the curtains on Daytona. Months of predictions and preparations have sealed the fates of 15 top drivers, and only one remains up for grabs. While the odds seem to skew toward Michael Jordan’s prodigy, Bubba Wallace, NASCAR enthusiasts are willing to hope against hope as they root for Chase Elliott for the 16th spot.

With the season’s closure on the track of Daytona International Speedway, the 2020 Cup Series champion has a steep mountain to climb in order to enter the postseason. However, it’s not over till it’s over, as NASCAR insiders believe there might be underlying maneuvers set for the driver before calling it quits. This was apparent in the latest episode of JC’s Garage.

NASCAR insider spills the beans on Chase Elliott and his chances of victory

Watkins Glen has always been a favorable track for Hendrick Motorsports as well as their golden boy, Chase Elliott. Although the driver had run within the top 10 of the pack, the disaster of running out of fuel threw a wrench in Elliott’s hard work, and he finished P32.

Nonetheless, the only viable and longshot option that can negate Elliott’s woes is none other than a Daytona victory. However, it’s easier said than done, as the track has always posed severe challenges to the driver with a slim chance of victory. NASCAR insiders believe that circumstances might favor the No. 9 Chevrolet driver, as his team owner and crew chief might be able to hatch a stratagem to turn the tables.

It was apparent in the episode of JC Garage where host J.C. Fickenscher expressed, “I have a weird feeling that he’s going to be really good this week; I don’t know why. To me, Chase Elliott doesn’t sound like a name that I’d pair with Daytona or Talladega, but I kind of feel like he could win this race I don’t know why.”

Fickenscher continued, “Out of all the drivers outside the cutoff line that I’d pick over him but I kind of want to bump my percentage a little bit. I just feel like Chase Elliott is gonna have a really good car, I think the pressure is on and he’s gonna make something happen. I’m gonna move it up just a little bit, I think 5%. I think he has got a 5% shot to get into this race.”

Watch this Story: Dale Earnhardt Jr. About Chase Elliott’s Contentious Watkins Glen

“I think Hendrick and Alan Gustafson are going to have a little bit of a schemed-up plan to keep his car clean and if there is like a 15-10 car wreck in this race and he misses it I think there is a shot he can win the race, but again it’s super low. I think his percent is like one to five percent,” the host added. 

William Byron shows his allegiance to his teammates

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Furthermore, it’s not just team boss Rick Hendrick who would be gearing up for Saturday’s race and would be ready to gamble everything in order to see either of the drivers make it to the playoffs. The HMS prodigy William Byron echoed the same notion in a press conference.

Byron expressed, “Yeah, I mean, just try to help those guys as much as we can. Superspeedways is really the place that we can help the most… All the other tracks, it’s tough to help, unless you’re just really equal and battling it out. But superspeedways is a chance, everyone is really close there.”

Read More: “Looking for Chaos” – Dale Earnhardt Jr Raises Concern for Bubba Wallace as He Rules Out Half the Grid for Daytona

“Hopefully, we can push those guys when we need to. I intend on being aggressive there and just making sure all my belts are tight and make sure we’re ready to go,” Byron added.

Well, the clock is surely ticking for Chase Elliott, and in order to end his woes, victory is the only possible route for the HMS star.