Road Course King Chase Elliott Loses His Crown, but There’s a Challenger Ready to Steal His Throne According to Dale Jarrett

Clouds of uncertainty have surrounded Chase Elliott. As the final three races of the season inch closer with every passing second, the spotlight automatically moves to the 2020 Cup champion. Having endured injuries and suspensions in the season, nothing has gone right for him. With a drop in form, people have also expressed their concerns over him being able to point his way into the playoffs in such a desperate situation.

But one thing that Elliott will hold onto as a ray of hope is the incoming road course races. His impeccable record on such tracks might give him an edge, but NASCAR has plenty of road course experts. 1999 Cup Series champion Dale Jarrett names one driver who could beat Elliott to the playoffs.

NASCAR expert names the favorite to win at Watkins Glen ahead of Chase Elliott

Chase Elliott and his possible run to the playoffs have been a topic of intrigue in the community. His situation in the bubble battle surprises people who have followed the sport closely enough in recent years. The NBC trio of analyst Dale Jarrett, pit reporter Kim Coon and Dustin Long, took a deeper dive into the tension around playoff qualifications. Long initiated the conversation by asking, “Are we going to see somebody win their way into a playoff spot these next three weeks?”

The addition of Shane Van Gisbergen to the field at Indianapolis has also affected many other drivers’ chances. SVG showed his prowess at Chicago in what turned out to be a historic day for the sport. Kim Coon also firmly believes in the New Zealand native’s abilities on a road course as she places her bets.

“Yes, I think we are. I’m going to go with some bold predictions. I think Indy road course; I’m putting my money on SVG. I think he’s a quick learner. Again, if he can learn quickly, he is going to be a huge threat to this field. I would love to see him get two on the season, be two for two in the Cup Series.”, stated Coon.

A surprise name appears in the conversation as Coon names her next favorite at Watkins Glen. Kaulig Racing driver, AJ Allmendinger who was in the news recently for dropping out of the Cup Series race at Richmond, is a major threat according to her.

“ I think Watkins Glen, AJ Allmendinger, he is the driver that is winning his way into the playoffs, and then looking at Daytona it’s anybody’s race. I think we’re gonna see somebody that’s already had a win on the season win at Daytona.”

Jarrett then presented his take on the odds of certain drivers and agrees with Coon to some extent. He also does some wishful thinking about Chase Elliott making the cut in the final race of the regular season in a dramatic manner.

“I’ve got this hope”: Dale Jarrett still clings on to the hopes of an Elliott win

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” Yeah, I like those names.” affirms Jarett. The 1999 Winston Cup champion understands the challenges that lie ahead or the drivers at the upcoming road courses. Reiterating Allmendinger’s strengths on such tracks, he says that his win in the Pennzoil 150 at Indianapolis last year is enough proof of his abilities.

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“I’m going to go with AJ Allmendinger at Indy. I just think that his skills there are really good. He has won this race before, so he knows exactly what he needs. The drive to do that, and he has the team to do that so I believe that he’s able to make that happen.”

Backing the NASCAR veterans to display their experience on the track at Watkins Glen, Jarrett takes into account RFK Racing’s owner and driver Brad Keselowski to put up a strong fight and possibly win. Keselowski has been incredibly consistent this season and his team has also packed up two wins on the trot through Chris Buescher at Richmond and Michigan.

“I think there’s a real possibility that we see someone like Brad Keselowski maybe win at Watkins Glen. This has been a place that he’s performed well at over the years and I’m gonna go with Brad there.” claims the 66-year-old. But what his heart wishes to see is a Chase Elliott win that will help him poke his way through.

Showing some hope for Hendrick Motorsports and Elliott fans, he says, “And I’m just going to give all of our fans some hope because I’ve got this hope. Yeah, I’m a huge Chase Elliott fan. It’d be great for our most popular driver to be a part of the playoffs. He somehow finds a way to win at Daytona in the last race before the playoffs.”

Elliott qualifying on the last race day of the regular season would be nothing short of a super-hit cinematic script.

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