Elliott Riding Playoff Roller Coaster after Dega Win

"I wanted to score 30 points and five stage points and we did that."
"It was a good points day especially after scoring none in the second stage when we bailed."
"We’re still plus-18, which is a decent spot to be."

The aftermath of the Yellawood 500 at Talladega Superspeedway was filled with controversy, with Chase Elliott not far from the center of it as he ran third approaching the final lap. With one successful move, he managed to push the Hendrick Motorsports team into the Round of 8 in the NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs.

Elliott’s somewhat daring move at the beginning of the two-lap showdown came out of Turn 2, when he moved from third position behind Ryan Blaney and Michael McDowell to lead on the outer lane. This risky maneuver, greatly assisted by Erik Jones’ massive push, led to Elliott ultimately winning the drag race against Blaney on the last lap.

Elliott didn’t focus solely on points, a mindset you can adopt after scoring 18 points in the first two stages. Despite only having a 22-point edge over the cutline at the start of the final stage, he still took a calculated risk, fully aware of the potential pitfalls.

“Elliott said, “At the restart, I felt that moving to the top lane was my chance to win. Although it was a risky move, we had earned a fair amount of stage points during the day, which made me feel somewhat more comfortable about trying to put myself in a winning position there”.

“I simply didn’t believe I could win from (the bottom row) with such few laps remaining. I thought that was my only opportunity.”

From that point, it depended on receiving a push from Jones — a push that Elliott, in his characteristic friendly rivalry, was more than willing to credit Jones for initiating.

“Elliott explained, “That was entirely his doing. He managed to give me a significant push. I don’t believe I did anything extraordinary. It was more about the timing of his connection, and the two individuals at the bottom were also linked, which meant they weren’t aggressively side-drafting us or attempting to separate us.”

"Yeah, it was just good time. He did a really good job. I think he deserves a ton of credit for that. Obviously I'm very thankful he was that committed to me for the last lap and a half."

For just over a decade, Elliott and Jones have been racing against each other, starting from Super Late Models, moving to Xfinity and now in the Cup Series.

“Erik commands a lot of respect from me,” Elliott confessed. “We’ve competed together for a while now, and I trust him not to spin me out in such situations. We definitely pushed our limits (laughs). It was challenging, but that’s essential in such circumstances. I believe he handled that balance well.”

Blaney found himself in a predicament where he was receiving strong support from Michael McDowell, but was faced with two unfavorable outcomes. He would either cause a crash by blocking late or be abandoned by one of his closest friends.

Blaney expressed, “I simply didn’t feel secure enough to venture up there and trust… I do trust Chase, but not to the extent that he wouldn’t have left me in the lurch for the benefit of his group. So, I decided to stay on the bottom with Michael.”

We had a strong possibility of emerging victorious, but we experienced a disconnection between stages three and four. I’m unsure if Denny Hamlin eased off, but our disconnection allowed Elliott and Jones to gain significant momentum.

Elliott arguably demonstrated a masterclass in superspeedway racing, perfectly timing his jump and fortuitously securing a committed pusher in Jones.

Elliott faced first race adversity in the second consecutive playoff round, with an engine failure in the Southern 500 and a right rear tire failure at Texas last week. However, he has had success at Charlotte, winning twice out of four starts.

However, reconsider if you believe that calculating the points or relying on road course success influenced the final restart on Sunday.

“No, no,” Elliott responded. “I was merely attempting to decide in that moment what I felt I could achieve, act wisely, and increase my chances of winning today. No, I wish I had the capability to plan that far in advance. I simply lack that ability in me.”

Elliott, the 2020 Cup Series champion, is familiar with the mental rigor of this format, but he concedes that the start of the last 10 races this year has tested his typical resilience.

Elliott said, “I believe I’ve been involved in racing long enough to comprehend its ups and downs. It’s an ongoing journey, isn’t it? You either learn to handle it, both on good days and bad, or you don’t. That’s simply the nature of the game.”

Yes, you simply have to go with the flow. Last week was tough, but this week was better. It’s fantastic to progress to the next round and earn an extra six bonus points. We’re extremely proud of these achievements.

That being said, this year has shown Elliott that even the upcoming Round of 8 is not guaranteed. Despite being the regular season champion and enjoying top seeded advantages, he has not been immune to challenges.

Elliott has been saying all autumn — nobody is safe.

“This deal has the potential to bring you down a notch,” said Elliott. “It’s possible to reach the Round of 8 and then crash out like we did in the initial two rounds. Alternatively, we could have a really great opening race. It’s all uncertain. The plan is to arrive prepared, give it our all, and then take it from there.”