Chase Elliott sat 13 points above the Round of 8 cutline coming into the Bank of America ROVAL 400 race weekend. (Photo: Wayne Riegle | The Podium Finish)
CONCORD, N.C. – Chase Elliott and road courses go together like bread and butter.
When NASCAR visits Daytona or Talladega, all eyes are on drivers like Michael McDowell and Denny Hamlin. Short tracks such as Bristol and Martinsville make fans think of Jimmie Johnson or Joey Logano. At one point, road courses were commanded by former or visiting road course specialists, such as Marcos Ambrose and Juan Pablo Montoya.
Ever since his early racing days in the ARCA Menards Series, Elliott has been dominant on any road course he has come across. In fact, he has the most impressive statistics of any NASCAR Cup Series driver at the Charlotte ROVAL. With a series-best two victories and 109 total laps led, Elliott is always one to watch on ROVAL race weekend.
All four Hendrick Motorsports drivers had impressive qualifying efforts on Saturday. Elliott, who earned a seventh place starting position for Sunday’s Bank of America ROVAL 400, had the most on the line, entering the weekend holding onto the eighth and final advancing spot in the playoffs. With only 13 points between Elliott and the cutline, it was all or nothing for the No. 9 UniFirst Chevrolet Camaro team.
Chase Elliott and the No. 9 Hendrick Motorsports UniFirst Chevrolet Camaro in NASCAR Cup Series practice at the Charlotte ROVAL on Saturday, October 12, 2024. (Photo: Jennie Mae Lingle | The Podium Finish)
Elliott finished every stage in the top five, gaining eight stage points in Stage 1 and seven stage points in Stage 2. Despite not getting the opportunity to lead any laps, the No. 9 finished a stellar fifth place behind two of his teammates, Kyle Larson, who led the majority of the event’s laps and won, and William Byron in third.
“Really, really proud of everybody at Hendrick Motorsports. To have four of the last eight standing, I think, is an extremely amazing achievement,” Elliott said to NBC Sports reporter Dave Burns post-race. “I hope that everybody over there is really proud because that’s a hard thing to do.”
“Me personally, I’m really proud of our group for fighting through for us to have positioned ourselves where we did at the end of those stages and get back to fifth. I mean, it’s not a win. Obviously, I’d love to win the race, but I was pretty proud of that effort and that result after the day we had.”
Chase Elliott racing in the Bank of America ROVAL 400 on Sunday, October 13, 2024. (Photo: Wayne Riegle | The Podium Finish)
Elliott has suffered some disappointments this year. He was oh-so-close to a win, or at least a top-five finish, at Talladega before the “Big One” squashed his chances at the end. The notorious superspeedway “Big One” also took him out at Daytona in the summer, putting his only DNF of the season on his record.
“We had to take the points, totally understandable, but you put yourself in a bad spot and it’s an uphill battle. So, this whole round has been an uphill battle, but it’s been fun and I’m glad to be moving on.”
Pushing those setbacks aside, Elliott has had a mostly steady season. With his average starting and finishing positions both in the top 12 and one victory on the board, his consistency is undeniable. However, the final eight drivers will need more than good finishes to come out on top at Phoenix in November.
“I think you get to the Round of 8 and it’s anybody’s ballgame so I’m ready to get going.”
