Chase Elliott is ready to set drama aside and go to work at Watkins Glen International (Photo: Wayne Riegle | The Podium Finish)
WATKINS GLEN, N.Y. — Undoubtedly, Chase Elliott has had a whirlwind 2023 season. He fractured his tibia in March and missed six races before getting suspended a race after right-hooking Denny Hamlin into the wall during the Coca-Cola 600.
Throughout the summer, Elliott and the No. 9 team still haven’t been able to find a way to victory lane, although he has been close a number of times. Notably, last week at the Indianapolis Road Course, the 27-year-old fr0m Dawsonville, Georgia finished runner-up to Michael McDowell.
At 80 points below the playoff cutline, it’s become increasingly clear over recent weeks that Hendrick Motorsports driver will have to win to get into the playoffs.
It just so happens that arguably one of the best chances for the No. 9 team to get a win is on Sunday at Watkins Glen International. Elliott has had great success at Watkins Glen in recent years, earning a reputation as one of the best road course racers in the Cup Series. Elliott got his first career win at the track in August 2018 and made it back-to-back a year later. Elliott has five other road course wins, but he hasn’t gotten one in the Next Gen era.
However, Elliott will have his work cut out for him at The Glen. He qualified 15th and will need to drive to the front in a race that’s expected to stay mainly green.
With the series heading to Daytona International Speedway next week, Elliott doesn’t want to view the superspeedway as a must-win with the unpredictability that comes with that style of racing.
“To show up [at Daytona] and be in a must-win situation is like going to Vegas and having to hit the nearest slot machine for the jackpot,” Elliott said in a media availability at Watkins Glen. “I mean, like that’s just silly. So to me, [Watkins Glen] is the opportunity that we have the most control over, and we didn’t have a very good start to the weekend. It puts you in a tough spot, but look, it’s nobody’s fault but mine that we’re in the spot we’re in. I hate it, but it is what it is. We’ll fight tomorrow until the last lap and hopefully, something will fall our way.
“We’ve ridden the roller coaster for a few years now so this is not uncharted territory, being in a bad position and having to go and do well. We’ve failed before, so you learn lessons through all those situations and I think they make you better, but look, everybody’s fine, we all know what our jobs are and we try to keep things very simple so nothing changes.”
Elliott’s been a primary talking point heading into the penultimate race of the regular season. He’s at risk of missing the playoffs and finishing outside the top 10 in points for the first time in his eight-year career.
That said, he’s trying not to let the pressure get to him.
“I just want to go do the best job I know I’m capable of doing,” Elliott said. “That’s all I’m after, is just being the best version of me, and also extracting the best version of our team that I feel like I can contribute to. So that’s what I want to get and if we’re doing that then the points and all of those things take care of themselves. You obviously want to look forward because those are the only things you can change and have any type of impact on, looking backward doesn’t do you a whole lot of good.”
Elliott and the rest of the field will take the green flag at Watkins Glen on Sunday at 3:00 p.m. ET on USA Network, MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.
