NBA Legend Sends Chase Elliott a Warning as He Reveals the Golden Boy’s “Horrible” Fate

Published 09/29/2023, 4:43 PM EDT

When the 2023 season began this year, team owner Rick Hendrick had hoped to put 4 strong cars on the playoff grid. As months passed and the regular season came to an end, he had just 2 that marked present. Among the cars that dropped was the #9 Camaro of former champion, Chase Elliott. The son of NASCAR legend Bill Elliott had a streak of getting into the playoffs for 7 consecutive seasons. But this time around, he couldn’t quite manage it.

As he continues to be a part of the remaining races, he still has something to lose. Ahead of the race at the Talladega Superspeedway, NASCAR insiders got together for an expert analysis on “Motorsports on NBC,” and an NBA legend had a stark warning for Elliott.

Chase Elliott cannot afford to slack despite not having a shot at title

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There are two prime reasons for Elliott missing the playoffs this year. One, he did not win a single race in the regular season. Two, he missed 7 of the 26 regular season races. He still came very close to the cutoff line to get into the postseason with the highest per-race points amongst all the drivers who couldn’t make it in. Four races into the mark and he continues impressing despite not doing enough to secure a win. Elliott’s latest stats show that he has overtaken Joe Gibbs’ grandson, Ty Gibbs, to climb to the 17th spot in the driver standings. Speaking on the NBC show, former basketball star and current NASCAR analyst, Brad Daugherty, detailed his expectations from the #9 driver.

Being the face of a team as large as Hendrick Motorsports provides a driver with all the resources he can get. And that is precisely why Daugherty thinks it was necessary for Elliott to win in the final 6 races of the season. He said, “I mean, with the resources and his ability to go without a win would just be… I mean, missing the Playoffs is catastrophic! This would just be remarkable for that race team with everything they have. Not to win one race would be absolutely a horrible season.” Sounding optimistic about the driver’s chances at Talladega and the Roval, he continued, “There are multiple opportunities. I’d be shocked if that #9 car doesn’t end up in victory lane in these next six races.”

Despite Talladega and the Roval being two tracks where he has put up strong displays before, lacking a purpose could be a major issue in any race. Fortunately, Chase Elliott has things to lose even after this terrible season.

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What does Chase Elliott stand to lose after his worst season ever?

When the 27-year-old Elliott entered the playoff season, he had no clue where to go and what to do. He had never seen this side of the Cup Series. But even now, the driver has something to race for. Although he is out of the drivers championship, his #9 car is still in the race for the owner’s standings. Elliott goes to Talladega with the purpose of putting a smile on Rick Hendrick’s face. Owners’ standing is important because it is all about the money, whereas the driver’s championship is about individual fame.

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The points in the owner’s standings table decide NASCAR’s payout to the teams. Talking about racing for something other than the title, Elliott said, “Nothing really feels any different, which is kind of odd. I wasn’t really expecting that. I guess I wasn’t really thinking about that as we were leading into the cutoff, but now that we’re here, it feels like just another playoff year really.”

The driver led the field last year with 5 wins in the series. He is yet to get 1 this season. Considering the balance of things, he will be hoping to finish the year on a high note and set himself prepared for the next season. Rick Hendrick had the right idea when earlier said this week on SiriusXM’s NASCAR radio, “You just have to put your arm around them and say look, ‘this happened. Now let’s get ready for next year. Let’s see if we can get better every single week as the year goes on. These races that are left. Let’s see if we can get in the top 10, get in the top five and win a race.”

The Talladega Superspeedway is a track that Elliott has won twice at before. He will be hoping to live up to Rick Hendrick’s expectations and make the man happy as the HMS cars move to Alabama.

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Written by:

Gowtham Ramalingam is a NASCAR writer at EssentiallySports. His love for motorsports stems from his fascination with Formula 1. Possessing an obsession for anything with an engine, the roads eventually led him to the raw grounds of NASCAR and he has been an avid fan of the sport ever since.

Edited by:

Nischal Kandpal

NBA Legend Sends Chase Elliott a Warning as He Reveals the Golden Boy’s “Horrible” Fate

Chase Elliott cannot afford to slack despite not having a shot at title

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What does Chase Elliott stand to lose after his worst season ever?