Chase Elliott heads into Martinsville Speedway with one simple goal: win the race and punch his ticket to the Championship 4. He sits 62 points below the cutline at the very bottom, so nothing short of a victory will keep his title hopes alive. Elliott showed he belongs on this short track with a fourth-place finish in the spring race, proving he can run up front when it counts.

This Martinsville race is do-or-die for several drivers below the cutline, and NASCAR wants clean racing with no funny business to help anyone advance. And though Elliott’s playoff numbers may be very unconvincing right now, his spirit isn’t, not one bit.

Elliott eyes balance for Martinsville magic

During practice laps, Elliott told the press, “The balance that you know I would like to have to be good. Second half of the race tomorrow is kind of what I’m targeting today, and a really good qualifying effort.”

Elliott wants his car set up to shine late in the race when tires wear and passes get tough. A strong start from qualifying helps too. He showed this plan can work when he started fourth at Kansas earlier this year and stayed competitive all day. His past success here, where he’s finished top 5 in the past three races, and his calm under fire make him a real threat to still pull off the upset.

He added about the Next Gen car: “I know those first couple Next Gen races were extremely difficult for that here. I do think it’s gotten better but I still think there’s a lot of emphasis on going fast today.”

Elliott remembers how hard the new car was to drive at first on tracks like Martinsville. His team has figured out more as the season went on, but speed still matters most. His focus on getting faster shows he refuses to let the car hold him back from a big comeback.

This Sunday at Martinsville, eight drivers fight for the last two spots in Phoenix. Chase Briscoe and Denny Hamlin are already in, leaving Christopher Bell, Kyle Larson, William Byron, Joey Logano, Ryan Blaney, and Elliott battling it out. And while the battle’s very much on, Dale Earnhardt Jr. talks about the calm way Chase Elliott handled his first Championship 4 run in 2020, the year he won the title.

Earnhardt Jr. recalls Elliott’s cool confidence

On his Dale Jr. Download podcast with Rajah Caruth, Earnhardt Jr. shared a story that stuck with him. “Chase Elliott, I’d never really heard this before, and it’s stuck with me ever since, most coolest thing I’ve ever heard of a guy that was in the situation that you’re pretty much in as well,” he started.

He explained: “Chase gets to the Final Four in Phoenix, and he would go on to win the championship that weekend. But this is his first Final Four, and his first real shot at this kind of pressure and being in that situation. And they were interviewing him at the race track, it was Friday, he was standing up against the pit wall, having a conversation with someone on camera.”

Earnhardt Jr. continued: “And they said ‘Man, talk about the pressure, you’re Chase Elliott, Bill Elliott’s son, here we are, Phoenix … there must be tons of pressure?’. And he was like, ‘It’s an incredible opportunity. I dreamed of being in this position and my dream has come true’.”

That same mindset fuels Elliott now at Martinsville. Down 62 points feels like a mountain, but he sees the chance to win and keep dreaming. His spring fourth-place run proves the speed is there. The car balance he wants for the second half lines up with late-race moves that can steal a victory. Just like in 2020 when pressure became opportunity, Elliott still refuses to count himself out.