Chase Elliott previews Xfinity Series start at Pocono Raceway

To say Chase Elliott is in a tough position would be an understatement. Perhaps an Xfinity Series start is just what he needs to turn things around. The 2020 NASCAR champion is on the outside looking in as far as the playoffs are concerned. Getting back to basics could help him find success at the Cup level.

It was announced earlier this week that Chase Elliott would drive the No. 17 Chevy Camaro for Hendrick Motorsports in the Xfinity Series. This is Elliott’s first Xfinity Series entry since 2022, however, it will be his first start since 2021. Darlington qualifying in 2022 was canceled due to weather and Elliott did not qualify.

Right now, Elliott is looking forward to working with the 17 team at Pocono.

“Hendrick Motorsports has been fielding this car a handful of races and they asked at the beginning of the year where our interest lied and at what tracks.,” Elliott said, via Hendrick Motorsports. “Pocono [Raceway] was one of the tracks I was interested in and it just kind of worked out.”

Of course, Elliott won at Pocono last season. However, that came only after Denny Hamlin and Kyle Busch were both disqualified.

Going into this race, Chase Elliott knows where he is strong and where he isn’t. He’s going to try to use every inch of the Tricky Triangle he can to get his car to the front.

“Usually, [turn] three for me is the one that goes away the quickest,” Elliott continued. “It’s the flattest turn of the three of them and I feel like you really have to have your balance good to be good there.”

Chase Elliott heads to Pocono in need of a win

There are a few battles on the NASCAR Playoff bubble that are very interesting. At this point in the season, it is hard to see every “deserving” driver get a spot in the postseason. Although Elliott has an issue in the points battle, he isn’t the only driver looking for their first win this weekend.

Perhaps a strong showing in the Xfinity Series will help him shake the struggles he’s had the last few weeks. He has only one Xfinity race at the Tricky Triangle and it was a P2 finish in 2018. Honestly, he’s been hit or miss at Pocono throughout his Cup Series career.

There was a stretch between 2017 to 2019 where Elliott put up four top-10 finishes and an additional top-5 finish. However, since the second Pocono race in 2019, Elliott has failed to post consecutive top-10s at the track. His last four finishes from 2020 to 2022 are P4, P12, P27, and P1*. That victory was really a third-place finish that Elliott didn’t really look comfortable accepting in 2022.

So, another week and another chance for Elliott to make the playoffs. Right now, it looks like it will be very hard for both Chase Elliott and Alex Bowman to make the playoffs. But imagine a world where both of them fail to make the top-16.