CHARLOTTE, N.C. – Chase Elliott finds himself in a different position entering this year’s NASCAR Cup Series playoffs than past years.
The driver of the No. 9 earned the regular season championship, won a series-best four races in the first 26 races and enters the 10-race postseason with 40 playoff points in the bank – 15 more than the next closest driver in the standings ahead of the opener at Darlington Raceway.
"I feel like we’re in a good place," Elliott said during playoff media day. "I think we could be better for sure. I think we’re in a solid spot mentally and in a position where we’ve learned some lessons that we can apply going forward."
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That said, the 26-year-old is taking nothing for granted. Since 2017, when NASCAR began awarding a trophy for the top driver in the 26-race prelude to the playoffs, the regular-season champion has won the Cup Series championship three times. That also means that twice that driver has not won the ultimate prize at the end of the year.
"I don’t think anybody is safe at any point in time," Elliott said of the four-round, elimination-style playoffs. "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."
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Elliott is no stranger to this format. He has made the playoffs each of the seven seasons he has been at Hendrick Motorsports. He won the 2020 championship by winning the final two races of the season at Martinsville Speedway and Phoenix Raceway. In 2021, he reached the Championship 4 before finishing fourth in the final standings.
"I feel like I’ve had a pretty large variety of experiences," Elliott said. "Close calls. We’ve had one (postseason) go our way. Fortunately and unfortunately, we’ve lived through the ups and downs of what it can offer. It’s very unforgiving but obviously, if you can make it and achieve the goal it’s rewarding."
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It all starts at Darlington – a track where the Dawsonville, Georgia, native has three top-five finishes and five top-10s in 11 starts. In the spring race this season, he finished fifth after having to start at the rear of the field for going to a backup car.
The Southern 500 provides a challenge for drivers specifically with its day to night transition, which can make running the fence a tricky proposition at different points. The rougher track surface makes tire management a greater priority.
"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," Elliott said. "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. You start in the daytime and end late at night. Balancing the event is probably the most important piece of going to Darlington."
Elliott and the No. 9 team will look for that right balance on Sunday, Sept. 4, at 6 p.m. ET on USA Network, MRN Radio and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio (Channel 90).