Smith's plan: Apply pressure, hope Elliott 'cracks'

"We struggled all weekend long in the summer when we were here," Smith said Friday morning, referencing the July 19 event in which he qualified 15th and finished 16th. "I think since I've been with JR Motorsports, it's been pretty brutal every time we've come to Chicago. This is a race we've highlighted on the schedule to either hold serve on points or try to gain a few."
 
By possibly gaining a few points -- this week or in the next two -- Smith hopes to put 18-year-old series points leader Chase Elliott in a position with which he is unfamiliar: Being hotly pursued in a national series title race.
 
Elliott has been remarkably consistent this year, and the headiness of being in control of the Nationwide Series championship race the same year he graduated high school hasn't affected the rookie. Will it, if the points get tighter?
 
We have no way of knowing. And that's kind of the point, Smith says.
 
"We don't know if (Elliott) has any weak points," Smith said. "It's going to be our job to put pressure on him and to see if he does, to see if he cracks any. Those cars have had speed all year long, and that hasn't changed, so I don't think we can say, 'Oh he's going to run 15th.' It's probably not realistic to look and think that way. That being said, we're going to have to do things to put pressure on him and maybe see if something happens."
 
Making a big charge this particular weekend may be difficult for a couple of reasons, and not just because Smith finished 17th on the speed chart to Elliott's seventh in Friday's first -- and due to rain, only -- practice.
 
Elliott, who leads Smith by 19 points in the standings with eight races remaining, won at Chicagoland earlier this year. So this is a track where the three-time 2014 winner is strong, and his JR Motorsports teammate is not so strong.
 
Smith also lost ground over the past month, despite notching finishes of second, fifth, sixth and sixth in the past four races. His deficit to Elliott increased from 10 points to 19 during that time period, because while Smith notched four top-sixes, Elliott recorded four top-fives.
 
"As I said, though, the pressure is going to ramp up as this thing gets closer and closer to the end," Smith said. "I think if we can close it down to nine or 10 points, that would help the pressure ramp up a little bit quicker as we close in on the end of the season. We've seen a lot of things happen over the past two years."
 
To Smith's point, in both 2012 and 2013 the series points leader entering the Chicagoland race has lost the points lead and eventually finished second in the final standings.
 
The ultimate goal for the No. 7 team is to extend that trend from two years to three years. And it likely won't come all at once, but there is a shortcut of sorts for cutting into the lead the most quickly.
 
"I don't think winning's gonna hurt," Smith quipped. "That's probably the easiest way to close a bunch of points quick is picking up those bonus points."

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