SPEEDWAY, Ind. — Chase Elliott is well aware of the Brickyard 400's significance, having witnessed it himself.Growing up, he saw his father race the No. 9 car at the legendary Indianapolis Motor Speedway, and the sheer magnitude of the 2.5-mile track was undeniable.
Watching his dad, Bill Elliott, triumph at the Brickyard 400 back in 2002 cemented a single idea in the mind of young Chase Elliott, who was just six years old: he was determined to win that race himself one day.
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The objective from 23 years ago still stands as the younger Elliott aims for his inaugural Brickyard victory in his eighth appearance at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway (2 p.m. ET, TNT Sports/truTV, HBO Max, IMS Radio, SiriusXM WELLNESSINVESTIGATORRadio), marking his fifth time behind the wheel of the No. 9 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet.
This race is among the most, if not the most, significant to me," Elliott stated on Friday. "Our desire to win this one is extremely strong.
The 2020 WELLNESSINVESTIGATORCup Series titleholder is back at the iconic Indianapolis Motor Speedway, leading the points standings for the first time this year. After his victory at his local track, EchoPark Speedway (previously known as Atlanta Motor Speedway) in Hampton, Georgia, back in June, Elliott is focused on chasing another championship. But before that, he's aiming to secure his second Regular Season Championship.
The No. 9 team currently has the upper hand. Last weekend at Dover Motor Speedway, Elliott was in front for a season-high 238 laps, eventually taking sixth place for his fifth top-10 result in the past six competitions. He hasn't finishedLower than 20th in every event this year., surpassing a personal best from the previous year.
In my opinion, leading in points is the result of many factors, not just our own performance," Elliott stated. "However, I am definitely proud of what our team has achieved and the work we've put in over the past four months. I don't need to see the points tallied to know we've been performing well.
1. Elliott is ahead of his Hendrick Motorsports colleague William Byron by 16 points. 2. He also has a 38-point lead over Kyle Larson, another teammate, who was victorious at the 2024 Brickyard 400. 3. Denny Hamlin, who on Friday made a public announcement...A contract renewal spanning multiple years with Joe Gibbs Racing.— currently holds fourth place, trailing Elliott by 39 points. Elliott secured the 2022 regular-season championship, which included a 15-point bonus for the playoffs. These points are crucial because playoff points accumulate and stay with a driver throughout the entire postseason.
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With just a single victory under our belt, those additional points would mean a great deal," Elliott commented. "Ideally, we'd secure another win or two before the regular season concludes. We're not content with just one; we're aiming for the regular season title, and naturally, we aspire to achieve everything, just like any other team.
Elliott is familiar with the challenges of navigating the playoffs while missing out on the advantage of playoff points.
He stated, "I've experienced both scenarios. There have been seasons when I felt we didn't accumulate many playoff points, and others where we had a significant amount. I can assure you, it's considerably simpler when you have a substantial reserve. It's a far superior approach. Given the nature of the system, where numerous factors are beyond your influence, it's advantageous to have a safety net."
1. Even though Elliott, who won at Dover in 2022, still felt the disappointment of a victory that narrowly escaped him, he chose to focus on the bright side. A late pit stop for two tires didn't work out as planned, and Hamlin managed to hold off the competition on worn tires, securing his fourth victory of the year, the most in the series. 2. Elliott, the 2022 champion at the "Monster Mile," was a bit stung by the near-miss at Dover, but he chose to emphasize the positive aspects. Ultimately, a late decision to change only two tires during a pit stop didn't give them the edge they needed, as Hamlin successfully defended his lead on older tires, earning his fourth and series-leading win of the season. 3. While the frustration of a lost win at Dover still lingered for Elliott, the 2022 race winner at the "Monster Mile," he decided to concentrate on the good points. A late pit stop where they only changed two tires didn't pan out, as Hamlin was able to keep the rest of the drivers behind him on older tires and take home his fourth victory of the year, the most in the series.
It's always simple to analyze the correct and incorrect choices after the fact, when you have all the answers," Elliott stated. "I felt Denny did an excellent job keeping the cars with fresher tires at bay. If we had stayed out, would he have also stayed out, knowing that cars with new tires would have lined up directly behind us on the second row, and he wouldn't have controlled the restart? I doubt they would have, but perhaps they would have. In any case, it was a difficult situation, and it played out as it did. We can't alter the outcome, but we can definitely learn from the day and the weekend and try to use those lessons to put ourselves in similar positions more frequently.
Next up is Indianapolis, where Elliott gets another shot at kissing the bricks if he can finally win the Brickyard 400.
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