Chase Elliott enters the NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs as the top seed with 40 bonus points and four wins to his credit. But does that make him the favorite to win the 2022 championship?
“For me, there’s never a good answer, but I try to give an honest take on it. There’s been too many people good at different times. Just because we have a win more than other people doesn’t mean other people aren’t capable of winning or having a really good day. You have to respect the whole field. There are a lot of really talented drivers and a lot of really smart people working at these teams.”
And though he is entering the Playoffs with a point advantage, Elliott views it as a separate entity.
“I don’t think anybody is safe at any point in time,” he explained. “You have to respect this format from Week One all the way to Week 10. I don’t think there is ever a period of time where you should think anything is taken for granted. No amount of playoff points is ever safe.
“Each round is so short. You could have two bad weeks back-to-back and do nothing wrong. Next thing you know, you’re in a position where you have to win the last race. That can happen to the guy who is first in points or the guy that is last. No one is safe from that.”
Looking ahead to the Cookout Southern 500 at Darlington, the Hendrick Motorsports driver explained the obstacles that the drivers will face.
“For me, you have to find the balance of the fast lane being around the wall – which is a difficult place to live all night for 500 miles – and the sun sets in a really awkward place there in turn three right in your face. It becomes hard to see the corner entry.
“To me it becomes a tale of two races the more I’ve done it and the more I’ve been a part of the race. In my opinion, it almost feels longer than the 600 for some reason. It feels like you’ve been racing for two days. You start in the daytime and end late at night.
“Balancing the event is probably the most important piece of going to Darlington,” Elliott said, “then making sure you have a car that’s put together that you haven’t bounced off the wall a bunch for those last 100 miles.”
Heading into this weekend, he is focused on making the most of this opportunity.
“If you get hot at the right time, it can propel your team all the way to Phoenix and have a shot to win the thing. We want to make sure we are at our peak in these final 10 – performing our best when it matters most.
“I’ve had a large variety of experiences. We’ve had one go our way. We’ve lived through the ups and downs of what it can offer. It’s very unforgiving but obviously, if you make it and achieve the goal, it’s rewarding.”
No matter what the end result may be, rest assured that Chase Elliott gave it his all.
