Ahead of Sunday’s AAA Texas 500 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series playoff race at Texas Motor Speedway, the second race in the Round of 8, we’ll analyze the four drivers who find themselves below the cutline. Today we focus on Chase Elliott, who sits sixth in the standings.
BELOW THE BUBBLE: Clint Bowyer | Aric Almirola
Points below cutoff: 31
Reason for optimism at Texas: Texas is where Chase Elliott became more than just the son of a popular former Cup Series champion but transformed into a star in his own right when he won the 2014 spring Xfinity Series race, his first-career victory in NASCAR’s No. 2 division. And on the Cup side, Elliott has never finished worse than 11th in five starts at the high-speed intermediate track.
Reason for pessimism at Texas: There haven’t been any Texas races Elliott would like to forget, it’s always been a place where he’s done well. If there is one area that gives pause it’s that he has not led many laps, totaling just nine circuits in five starts.
RELATED: Updated playoff standings
Reason for optimism at Phoenix: Elliott excels at Phoenix, having finished near the front in every Cup start he’s made there. Last year, he was leading the fall race when Matt Kenseth ran him down and passed him with 10 laps remaining.
Reason for pessimism at Phoenix: Sure, Elliott twice has come close to winning at Phoenix but he has not yet closed out and reached Victory Lane. And a runner-up finish for a second straight year will likely produce the same impact on Elliott’s title hopes as it did last season; another hard-to-stomach elimination.
Outlook: Although Hendrick Motorsports lacked competitiveness for much of the regular season, the No. 9 team has significantly elevated its performance in the Playoffs. Elliott is the only driver to record multiple wins during the postseason and has had the speed in his cars to run with the likes of Kyle Busch and Kevin Harvick most every week. Further aiding Elliott’s cause is throughout his career he’s never produced a bad result at either Texas or Phoenix. It is a realistic proposition he wins one of the next two races.