Chase Elliott faced a tense night at Bristol Motor Speedway during the NASCAR Cup Series elimination race but managed to advance in the playoffs despite an early crash. Entering the event with a solid points cushion, Elliott’s performance was marked by a struggle and a significant accident, yet he held on and qualified for the next round of the championship.
Unlike Elliott, drivers such as Alex Bowman, Austin Dillon, Shane van Gisbergen, and Josh Berry, all starting below the playoff cutline, failed to close the gap and were eliminated. Berry, in particular, finished in last place at the Tennessee short track, ending his playoff run abruptly. Elliott, known as one of NASCAR’s most popular drivers, will continue competing in the Round of 12, which begins next weekend at New Hampshire Motor Speedway.
Challenges and Key Moments That Defined Elliott’s Night at Bristol
During much of the race, Elliott appeared capable of extending his points lead and advancing, although he wrestled with vehicle handling issues and was at one point a lap behind the leaders. He shared that his car
“was really good for a few laps,”
but soon began struggling to regain competitive pace after falling to the back of the pack.
Our car was really good for a few laps,
Elliott said. And then I felt like we struggled. We had spent the majority of the night in the back of the pack, just trying to get ourselves back in position and back on the lead lap. —Chase Elliott
Once we did and we got back up towards the front, I just felt like we needed some balance adjustments there once we started running the pace of the leaders. We were working on it and making it better.
—Chase Elliott
However, Elliott’s comeback effort was halted when John Hunter Nemechek’s car, after being pushed by Denny Hamlin, collided with Elliott’s rear bumper in Turn 3. The impact sent Elliott’s No. 9 Chevy directly into the outside wall, forcing him to head to the garage and end his active participation in the race prematurely.
I got a huge shot from behind,
Elliott recalled of the crash.
I’m not sure if the No. 42 (Nemechek) got pushed in there or he wasn’t expecting me to come back to the bottom or what the reasoning was. But nonetheless, it happened. And it’s done.
—Chase Elliott
Elliott’s Narrow Points Margin Secures Playoff Position Amid Intense Competition
With nearly 190 laps still to run when Elliott’s race ended, his continuation in the playoffs was uncertain until the results concluded. Ultimately, he maintained his points advantage despite finishing near the back of the field. Elliott placed 11th among the 12 drivers advancing, edging out Austin Cindric by a slim six points and Alex Bowman by 16 points.
Bowman, another Hendrick Motorsports driver, did not make the cut and was eliminated alongside Dillon, van Gisbergen, and Berry. After the race, Bowman expressed his pride for the team’s effort and acknowledged their missed opportunity.
Just proud of everyone at Hendrick Motorsports for the fight,
he stated.
We obviously had a shot at it.
—Alex Bowman
Starting the Round of 12, Elliott will hold seventh place in the playoff standings after the points reset, improving from his previous Round of 16 position by four spots. However, his lead is modest, as he holds only a five-point edge over Cindric, who is first outside the cutline for the Round of 8, and a four-point buffer ahead of eighth-place Bubba Wallace.
Although these margins are tight, Elliott’s earlier cushion heading into Bristol allowed him to remain in a competitive position moving forward. The upcoming rounds at New Hampshire Motor Speedway will demand consistent performance as the playoff battle intensifies.
