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Chase Elliott has quietly put together one of the most consistent seasons of his Cup Series career. The 2020 champion has posted 14 top-10s, eight top-fives, and a win at Texas Motor Speedway in April.
The driver of the #9 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet carried his strong regular season into the playoffs as two top-10s, including a runner-up finish at Bristol, helped him earn a spot in the Round of 12 with relative ease.
As the playoffs move forward, can the six-time Most Popular Driver of NASCAR help push him through the Round of 8?
Elliott showed strength through the Round of 16
In stats collected by X user Trey Ryan, a self-proclaimed stat guy, Elliott had a 9.67 average finish in the first round of the playoffs, which was the third-highest in the series, behind only playoff driver Christopher Bell with a 7.67 and non-playoff driver Ross Chastain with a 9.00.
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If the Georgia native can replicate those results and keep one of the top-three highest average finishes, it should be more than enough to push him into the Round of 8.
Elliott has a proven record of success at the upcoming three tracks
Elliott's past success at the upcoming three tracks might give him the edge as well. Kansas Speedway is the site of the opening race for the Round of 12, a track where the 19-time Cup Series winner has posted three top-10 finishes in his last three appearances. The son of NASCAR champion and Hall of Famer Bill Elliott also holds a win at the 1.5-mile track in 2018.
The second race of the round is at Talladega Superspeedway, a place Elliott has won twice, including in the fall of 2022, which guaranteed him a spot in the Round of 8 that year. The Charlotte Roval hosts the final race of the round.
Elliott leads all active drivers in road-course wins with seven, and has two wins at the Roval to his name. With proven success at the upcoming three tracks, Elliott will carry not only consistency but confidence into the Round of 12.
Elliott holds a six-point cushion over the cut-line
While the gap might not seem like much, the consistency Elliott showed proves he can outrun the guys needed to stay above the cut-line. Elliott sits seventh in the standings and holds a six-point advantage over the cut-off. Eighth place is Joey Logano, the last driver above the cut-line, who has a four-point cushion.
Elliott outran the two-time Cup Series champion by seven positions in the average finish rankings for the Round of 16, as Logano had a 10th-best average of 14.67. Below the cut-line heading into the Round of 12 is Austin Cindric, Daniel Suarez, Alex Bowman, and Chase Briscoe.
Elliott managed to out-finish all four of them, and besides Bell, no playoff driver had a better average finish than him. With consistency heading into three tracks he runs well at, it's hard to count out Elliott in advancing to the Round of 8.
