Chase Elliott building confidence, still looking for a win in 2023

The season is winding down and Chase Elliott needs a big break soon if he plans on making the NASCAR playoffs. He has a shot at pointing his way into the postseason but could really use a win to shake off all the doubt that has built up this year.

After the Ally 400, Chase Elliott who finished P4 was happy about the performance. He raced well and arguably got more out of his car than it seemed to have prior to the event.

While talking with Bob Pockrass of Fox Sports, Elliott didn’t get down on himself and chose to look at the positives.

“I feel good about our last two runs I feel like we’re doing all the things that it takes to go contend for wins,” Elliott explained. “Our pits stops are solid, qualified a little better this week. Restarts were good, all those things that you have to execute to contend for a win. We’re there we just need a little bit of pace and I think a lot of that falls on me to help lead us in the right direction at the right time throughout the event. So, yeah I think we’re close. Closer than we’ve been in a while, so excited about that.

Chase Elliott looks at Denny Hamlin as an example of what running consistently can do for your team.

“So, you put yourself in the top-5 and you open up opportunities to play a little different strategy you never know something might go your way even if you don’t have that outright pace. But I think we can have the pace too, it wasn’t like we were lightyears off. We just need a little bit and I think that’s very achievable.”

Chase Elliott has back-to-back top-5 finishes (a fifth and fourth). Does he have the pace to challenge for wins over these next nine regular-season races? pic.twitter.com/dO9aGrZCDq

— Bob Pockrass (@bobpockrass) June 26, 2023

Chase Elliott has nine more lives this season

Being a driver that can win on any type of race track comes in handy when your back is against the wall. The No. 9 team missed a large chunk of the season with their full-time driver. While they performed well with Josh Berry in the seat, that doesn’t help Chase Elliott one bit.

If Elliott is perfect the rest of the season, and I mean he has to run in the top-10 at the worst, he can point his way in. He’s a little more than 60 points from the cutoff right now and came into the race 84 points away from the 16th position in the standings.

There are road course races coming up, in which Elliott excels at. Atlanta is a race that could be won by the No. 9 team if they have a good race. Richmond is always a place Elliott and his team perform well at.

So, there are opportunities for a win. But Chase Elliott only has nine lives left, so to speak. The last thing the 2020 champion wants is to get to Daytona and be in a must-win situation there.