CONCORD, N.C. — Survive and advance — that's the name of the game in NASCAR's current playoff era. Wins are great, but points often mean more, something that Chase Elliott accepted Sunday at the Roval.
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While teammate Kyle Larson was dominating the Round of 12 elimination race, Elliott and his No. 9 team were focusing on a strategy that would help them build a cushion in the playoff standings. This was a strategy that would assuredly take the team out of contention for the win, but it would help them remain in the hunt for the championship.
"It could have been worse, for sure," Elliott joked on pit road after Sunday's race. "Definitely can't complain. I'm really proud of our effort.
"We put ourselves in really bad positions there to have a good result, but we really had to take those stage points when we could get them."
Elliott had a cushion entering Sunday's elimination race at the Roval, but it was not large. He was only 13 points ahead of Joey Logano, the first driver below the cutline.
Elliott knew that he had to remain ahead of Logano in the standings, which the Team Penske driver made more difficult by scoring 18 stage points. This forced Elliott to stay out in the first two stages to get points instead of following a pit-early strategy focused on contending for the win.
The Hendrick Motorsports driver fell back through the field by staying out each stage, but he still recovered and worked his way back to a top-five finish. This was an achievement that Jeff Gordon called "badass" during a post-race discussion on pit road.
A quick debrief after what Jeff Gordon called a "badass top-5." pic.twitter.com/6K4JZrDM8r
— John Newby (@JohnNewby_) October 13, 2024
"(Logano) was always right there in front of me until the very end," Elliott said. "We did what we had to do there, but truthfully, to get back to the top five, I was pretty proud of that effort.
"For as bad as we set ourselves back at the end of each stage, I thought that was pretty solid."
Elliott scored enough points and kept his season alive while Logano initially failed to advance in the playoffs. Now, the Hendrick driver is back in the Round of 8 for the sixth time in his career.
NASCAR disqualified Alex Bowman after a post-race inspection, which put Logano into the Round of 8.
On paper, this upcoming round favors the Hendrick Motorsports lineup. Byron, Elliott, and Larson have all won Cup races at Martinsville. Byron and Larson have won at Las Vegas and at Homestead-Miami Speedway.
Elliott does not have wins at either of the two remaining intermediate tracks, but he has multiple top-five finishes and runner-ups. He still has reasons to be confident as he once again tries to reach the Championship 4.
"I have always said, 'I think you get to the Round of 8, it's really anybody's ballgame,'" Elliott said. "So I'm looking forward to (Las) Vegas and getting going."
