HAMPTON, Ga. (AP) — Chase Elliott says he can’t rely on repeating last summer’s success, starting with his home track at Atlanta Motor Speedway, as his path to NASCAR’s playoffs.
Elliott, the 2020 Cup Series champion, has endured too much adversity in 2023 to assume he’ll extend his streak of seven consecutive appearances in the playoffs. He had more reason for self-doubt Saturday, when he qualified only 23rd. Aric Almirola won the pole to lead another strong Atlanta qualifying day for Ford.
Elliott enters the Atlanta race Sunday night only 24th in the Cup Series standings. He won last summer’s Atlanta race but is still looking for his first win this season.
He placed third in last week’s street race in Chicago for his third consecutive top-five finish. It’s possible Elliott could earn his spot in the playoffs by boosting his points with more competitive finishes, but taking his first win of the season would end the drama.
Elliott has missed seven races this season, including one when suspended after NASCAR ruled he deliberately wrecked Denny Hamlin and six after breaking his leg while snowboarding.
Elliott is not placing full blame for his points dilemma on the missed races. He says his Hendrick Motorsports team has struggled to find a winning formula it lost after wins in Nashville, Atlanta and Pocono in last summer’s string of five straight top-two finishes.
“I think a lot changed really, last fall when we started running not as good there,” Elliott said Thursday. “I think, personally, the setups and just the direction that the garage area went in was a pretty large departure from what we had success with through the early stages of the season and through those summer months.”
Elliott mentioned “changes with the tire and all kinds of little things that I think added up.”
The changes were not well-received. Elliott said “we as a group and me personally as a driver” lost momentum and were “not doing very well with that. And I think some of those same struggles have have rolled over into this season, too.”
Elliott said he is encouraged his team is “trending in a good direction” and has “made a little progress over the last month or so.”