The NASCAR regular season is like a high-speed carousel; races are blurred into one another, offering little time to breathe. Drivers hop from track to track Sunday after Sunday, and sometimes you can find them under the lights on Friday and Saturday night, so if it’s not just the race, it’s the long hours prepping the car, strategizing, and staying mentally sharp. Many drivers, like Chase Elliott, are expected to rewire, refocus, and perform night after night, race after race, with barely a pause. The emotional toll is real; one slip-up due to fatigue can drain both physical and mental stamina. And Chase Elliott has weighed on just that.

The NASCAR schedule isn’t just packed; it is a full-on endurance test. Once the regular season wraps, the NASCAR Cup Series morphs into playoff mode; 16 drivers enter the chase for the Bill France Cup, but only one leaves Phoenix with the trophy. It all kicks off at Darlington Raceway this weekend for the first round of cutthroat competition. In all, NASCAR hosts about 38 races, which is 38 weekends. But Chase Elliott embraces the hectic race schedule and talks about the toll it takes on him.

Speaking on Playoff Media Day, he said, “But yeah, I think there’s aspects of it that can, and just kind of loops back to your ‘less is more’ thing. Like, I just think all those things… Our fans — and I think people too sometimes — you know, they’re like, ‘Well, of course you want less races. You don’t want to work as much.’ Not true. I’m fine running — if we were to want to run 50 races, great, let’s run 50 races between February and, like, now, Labor Day. Weeknights, you know, whenever you want to do. So, not true at all — totally fine, you know, racing as much as they want to race. I just think the calendar year time that we burn up is what we could help with, and creating some hunger in those off months.”

After Darlington, it’s elimination after elimination; four drivers fall out each round at Bristol, the Charlotte Roval, and Martinsville, narrowing the field from 16 to 12, then to 8, until only the championship four remain. Each stage, each race becomes a wildcard; win your way forward or fight for points—it is a survival of the fastest. And by the time the final hits Phoenix on November 2, it is a winner-takes-all showdown the likes of which pro sports rarely see.

This high-stakes, low-margin-for-error environment intensifies the toll of that unforgiving schedule. For Elliott and his peers, this isn’t just about racing; it’s a battle of endurance, grit, and a shot at glory. As for Chase Elliott, he remains firmly in playoff contention, sitting seventh in the playoff points standings after 26 races. Across those appearances, he has secured one win, seven top fives, and 13 top 10s and led 385 laps while maintaining a solid 12 average finish.

Elliott has recently opened up about working towards his second title and has been both consistent and competitive; despite no poles, his performance stats underscore resilience and grit as the postseason looms.

Chase Elliott is willing to adopt a more aggressive mindset as the playoff season begins

Chase Elliott heads into the NASCAR playoffs feeling the weight of a challenging season. With only one win to his name in 2025, he knows a more aggressive mindset is essential if he wants to contend. Currently seeded 7th, his playoff hopes hinge on breaking through for more victories, a tall order given the year’s inconsistencies. Still, his recent flashes of strong form suggest that he could be a factor when it counts the most.

As the pressure mounts, Elliot is considering a complete transformation in both attitude and appearance to rattle his rivals. In a candid moment, he joked about showing up in all black, flipping the script, and adopting a ruthless mentality. He said, “Some guys just race like a–holes, some of them just do. Turn your heel one day and same sponsor, but like, show up in all black, and be like, screw everybody. I think that would catch a lot of people off guard. Maybe I will. Somebody might be getting the bird this weekend.”

This mentality will be adopted to match the cutthroat tactics he sees from others in the field. His own comments have fans and competitors alike wondering just how far he’ll go, and as the Cup garage enters round 1 of the playoffs, all eyes will be on the HMS driver to see if he can deliver.