Chase Elliott’s playoff picture, last week at New Hampshire, looked shaky. Sitting seventh in the standings, just 14 points above the cutline, one mistake or bad break could have derailed his season. But he steadied the ship, leading three laps and racking up 36 points, including four stage points, enough to secure his spot in the Round of 8. And, now that the time the Cup Series wrapped up in Kansas, the story had taken another turn.

Elliott started 4th in qualifying, showing speed from the start. Elliott carried both urgency and opportunity, and when the race came down to a double-overtime finish, he leaned into both. Starting fourth, he relied on instinct and timing to pull off the win.

Even with a big, crucial victory in the books, crew chief Alan Gustafson stressed that Kansas was about more than just a trophy. “It was a calculated move to build momentum for the Roval,” he said, pointing to a track that has caught out plenty of playoff contenders over the years.

“Everything worked out perfectly for me, I had a great push through (turns) 1 and 2. That kind of all started with (Brad Keselowski). Big run off of 2. Seas kind of parted, and was just able to keep my momentum up. That was really it,” Elliott told NBC Sports after ending a 12-race winless streak and securing Chevrolet’s first playoff victory of the season.

On the final restart, Elliott was lined up alongside Denny Hamlin. Coming off Turn 4, Elliott’s Chevy made contact with Hamlin’s Toyota, a door-banging move that broke Hamlin’s momentum just enough. But Elliott held on at the line by 0.069 seconds. And Gustafson thinks that the trophy is just a brownie point.

Alan Gustafson, after the race, emphasized that the upcoming ROVAL is looming as the true challenge, and they “wanted to get enough points.” From the crew chief’s statement, the No. 9 team’s focus was never solely on the trophy; it was about establishing a safety net in the playoff standings, a buffer that could prove crucial as the postseason intensified.

“We felt like if we finished third in both stages and finished in the race, that would be enough points that we could go race the Roval and not have to run for stage points. If you have to run for stage points … it’s almost impossible to win the race that way.” Gustafson said in the post-race conference, explaining how by finishing third in stage 1 and fourth in stage 2, the No. 9 team got through that playoff cutline dramatically.

With this freedom, there’s no pressure on Chase Elliott. And, if we look at the stats, not just Elliott and the entire Hendrick’s garage is set to take on the road course without the constraints of chasing stage points.

• Chase Elliott: Holds the record for the most wins at the Charlotte ROVAL, with two victories. He has also led a total of 109 laps at the track. Frontstretch

• Kyle Larson: Has one victory at the Charlotte ROVAL. In the 2024 race, he led 62 of 109 laps, securing his second career ROVAL win.

• William Byron: Has led 80 laps at the Charlotte ROVAL, the second-most of any driver.

• Alex Bowman: Boasts the best average finish among active drivers at the Charlotte ROVAL, with a 6.4 average finish. He is also tied for the most top-10 finishes at the track, with five.

So the question now is, where would Elliott go from here? It looks like Jeff Gordon has an answer to that.

Jeff Gordon’s analysis of Elliott’s comeback

Jeff Gordon, the NASCAR Hall of Famer and Vice Chairman at Hendrick Motorsports, watched Chase Elliott storm from 10th to 1st in the final laps in Kansas. And, unlike the rest, Gordon feels it was more than Hamlin’s miss and Bubba Wallace‘s Turn 4 incident.

“There was definitely a lot of emotion there in the last few restarts,” Gordon admitted. “It’s lane choice, it’s tires, it’s positioning – every decision matters. From 10th, we didn’t really think we could win, but the fresh tires, the cautions, everything fell into place.”

For Gordon, though, the highlight wasn’t just the win, it was a quiet moment of encouragement. “Alan said something about the cut line, and Chase basically came back with, ‘Forget the cut line,’” Gordon said with a laugh.

That mix of grit and execution made the victory especially sweet.

“I couldn’t be more proud. I was hoarse from celebrating with Alan. Love watching him and Chase pull it off,” Gordon said. Now, with five races left, Gordon can breathe a little easier. And maybe, just maybe, those tears of joy he held back at Kansas will flow if Elliott adds a second championship to his story.