RICHMOND, Va. – Saturday night at Richmond International Raceway, Chase Elliott controlled his own destiny when it came to the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup.
He didn’t need help from any other drivers to race his way into a spot in the postseason, and that’s exactly what he did at Richmond.
Elliott clinched a place in the 16-driver Chase field, joining teammate Jimmie Johnson, who had already secured his position thanks to his two wins early in the season.
"I can't thank my guys enough for working as hard as they did," Elliott said. "We're excited about these next 10 (races). I think we have to go in with the mentality that we can give ourselves a chance at Homestead."
The two drivers will begin their race toward a title next weekend at Chicagoland Speedway.
"We've got to get better, there's no doubt about it," Johnson said. "Inside of our walls at Hendrick Motorsports, we know we're getting better. We know we're bringing a better product to the track. We're showing it at times, we've just got to show it consistently and finish in the top five consistently. That will lead to opportunities to win and then hopefully the big trophy at the end of the year."
The first event of the Chase is scheduled for Sunday, Sept. 18, at 2:30 p.m. ET. It will be broadcast on NBCSN in addition to MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.
"I'm very excited to be in," Elliott said. "We've got to capitalize on it now."