Chase Elliott, Alan Gustafson keep NASCAR playoff do-or-die scenario in perspective

CONCORD, N.C. - With a likely win-or-go-home scenario awaiting him on Sunday at Martinsville Speedway, at least as far as the NASCAR Cup Series playoffs are concerned, one would think the weight of the racing world would rest upon Chase Elliott's shoulders. 

But with a proven championship pedigree, as well as eight full-time seasons under his belt at just 28 years old, has come perspective. And following a solid run at Homestead-Miami Speedway, a little confidence as well. 

"I’m stress free at the moment, I really am," Elliott said. "I’ve kind of grown to just enjoy these opportunities, to be still in the fight with two weeks left. What else can you ask for aside for already having a win or being in a really good points spot? There’s a great opportunity for us right there in front of us and at the end of the day it’s up to us to go and either capitalize on that or give it all trying. That’s where my head is."

It's a mentality that the No. 9 NAPA Auto Parts Chevrolet team has embraced as it enters Sunday's finale in the Round of 8. Elliott is currently eighth in the standings, 43 points below the cutline, almost assuredly a margin too great to overcome in one event. That leaves just one way to Phoenix and it runs through victory lane at Martinsville. 

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Yet, the seemingly dire nature of the situation also creates simplicity. On Thursday, crew chiefs from the remaining eight teams still alive in the postseason met with the media and No. 9 boss Alan Gustafson suggested the situation his team is in may make Sunday's race less stressful. 

“I don’t feel like that generates more pressure, I feel like that’s a bit liberating because it strips down everything else,” Gustafson said. “It’s very clear and calm and focused in my opinion, that it’s just simply about winning.” 

The last time Elliott took the checkered flag at Martinsville came in the fall of 2020 and the very next week, he won again at Phoenix Raceway to clinch a Cup Series championship. 

Since, has come seemingly a lifetime of change, growth, adversity and all of the experience that's come with it. In total, Elliott is seeking his fourth Championship 4 appearance and is in the Round of 8 for the seventh time. 

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“I just think the more you put yourself in those types of positions where there’s a lot on the line or your back is against the wall or whatever it may be, I think the next time you get there you feel better about it,” Elliott said. “You understand the situation. I think the biggest thing as time goes, you have a better understanding of what really matters and you can kind of boil it down to those things and just go to work.”

Maybe not in a long while has the team more closely resembled that 2020 title winner than last week as Elliott racked up 17 stage points and led 81 laps in a fifth-place showing. That's continued a run of mostly strong performances throughout the postseason that's gotten the team this far. 

“Honestly, I’ve been really happy with how we’ve run the last two weeks, some of our, if not our best runs throughout the course of the season and just as a whole with where our team was,” Elliott said. “I just thought everything was clicking really well at Homestead and it’s a great time of year for that. You’re in a position where if you get two wins, you enjoy the offseason a lot more. It for sure is a positive place to be. I think if we can go replicate that type of performance in our car and as a team that we’ve done the last two weeks, I feel like we can be right there in the mix.” 

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But about the only thing that stays the same in NASCAR is change. That's no different this week as a softer right-side tire - the same as the option tire from the All-Star Race at North Wilkesboro Speedway and Richmond Raceway - and even softer left-side rubber will be used. Teams will have 45 minutes to practice on Saturday to try to get acclimated. 

And that's where Gustafson comes in. The veteran, who eclipsed 700 Cup Series starts on the pit box earlier this year, said he has some expectations heading into Sunday, one of which is an expectation to confront the unknown. 

"We've had some experience with this tire ... based on (races at North Wilkesboro and Richmond) we're going to extrapolate some of what we think is going to happen," Gustafson said. "I don't think anybody really knows what's going to happen, so there will be some small tweaks and changes. 

"The unknown of the tire when it comes to the context of the performance of the car and the strategy, yeah, I expect to be surprised." 

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NASCAR playoff standings, Round of 8