The tension is building around the Cup Series as the playoffs edge closer. With just six races left in the regular season, the race for the final 16 is bound to get more intense. While there are plenty aspiring to book their berth in the playoffs, the obvious question of Chase Elliott and his chances remains there. In blatant terms, the Hendrick Motorsports star heavily relies on points to make it happen.

The fact that Elliott has missed out on participating in seven races this campaign has hit him hard. While there’s no point looking back, realistically, is there a possibility for him to make it to the playoffs?

Chase Elliott has more than an uphill task in order to make it to the playoffs

Currently, Chase Elliott sits in 23rd place in the Cup Series table with 372 points. That is 60 points behind the elimination line for the playoffs, i.e., the 16th place, presently occupied by Michael McDowell. In fact, 15th-placed Bubba Wallace only has a point more than McDowell. So, statistically speaking, Elliott still has the chance to make it.

Now comes the tricky part where “points” would mean everything for the Hendrick Motorsports driver. Between him and McDowell, he has Austin Cindric, Justin Haley, Alex Bowman, Ty Gibbs, AJ Allmendinger, and Daniel Suarez. With six races and considering a gap of 60 points, can Elliott outscore each of them by 10 points every race?

Definitely, it is a challenging task. Let’s not forget, it will also depend on how the other playoff candidates end up during the race. A win was always a must for Elliott and more so after the current scenario. Having said that, how likely is Elliott to find victory lane in the upcoming races?

Out of the remaining six races, two are road courses, viz., Indianapolis and Watkins Glen. Currently, Elliott is the active wins leader on tracks that turn both ways, so it definitely helps his cause. In fact, his five best career tracks in terms of average finish have all been road courses. What’s more encouraging is his record at the Pocono Raceway. Being the defending winner from last year, he’s expected to do well in Pocono on Sunday.

Also, a fact that would encourage Hendrick Motorsports fans is that the last time one of their team drivers failed to make it to the playoffs was in 2020. It was Jimmie Johnson who was then in his final year as a full-time driver.

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While these are the positives going forward, there are certain concerning factors too for Elliott which might significantly hamper his chances.

Elliott will have to overcome his weaknesses to have a chance at qualifying for the playoffs

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Historically, Chase Elliott has had a good record on road courses but it hasn’t quite been the same with the introduction of the Next Gen cars. His five wins in the Gen-7 car have come out at oval tracks, namely Dover, Nashville, Atlanta, Pocono, and Talladega. So, while he has done well on road courses, he has to prove it with the Next Gen car in Indianapolis and Watkins Glen.

Additionally, his win in Pocono last year was courtesy of Denny Hamlin and Kyle Busch getting disqualified. His average finish in Pennsylvania has been 14.1, which is not very encouraging. This stat only gets worse at Michigan as his average finish of 22 makes it the worst track for him.

Having said all of the above, the Cup Series has had 12 different winners this season so far. Considering that and Elliott’s talent behind the wheel, there’s no reason to not be optimistic. What do you think will happen with the Hendrick Motorsports driver? Let us know in the comments below.

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