Chase Elliott makes feelings known with 'game on' remark after narrow playoff advancement, eyes Championship 4 glory

Chase Elliott secured a top-five finish at the Charlotte Roval to advance into the Round of 8 and continue his championship bid. Elliott declared it is "game on" for the #9 Hendrick Motorsports team and expressed excitement for the final stretch of the playoff campaign.

After getting wrecked at Talladega, Elliott was just 13 points good to the cutline heading to the Round of 12 cut-off race at the Roval. Starting inside the top 10, he secured top-five finishes in each stage. Unlike Tyler Reddick, who was in a similar situation, Elliott navigated the chaos to advance to the Round of 8 with relative ease.

In a post-race interview with SiriusXM NASCAR Radio, Elliott expressed his excitement about securing a spot in the Round of 8 after navigating the wildcard races in the first two rounds. The #9 HMS driver took pride in the team's performance at the Roval and indicated that it was "game on" for him in the final stretch of the playoffs.

"I was really happy with our car. You know, we were just in a position where we had to, we had to defend the #22 [Joey Logano] for points. And you know, that just puts you in such a terrible spot for trying to win the race. But, you know, truthfully, to get out here with the top five after doing that, I'm really pretty proud of that effort. So, yeah, it's game on now. So you get to the round of eight, and it's anybody's ball game, so I'm looking forward to it," Elliott said.

Having missed the playoffs last season, Chase Elliott is poised to make his sixth appearance in the Round of 8 this year. He has advanced to the season-finale three times, winning the NASCAR Cup Series title in 2020 and finishing fourth in the standings in both 2021 and 2022.

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Chase Elliott aims to win his way into Championship four

Chase Elliott is the only remaining playoff driver who has not won multiple races this season. However, he holds the best average finishing position among all drivers at 11.7 and can advance to the season-finale with strong performances.

The #9 HMS driver is seeded seventh in the Round of 8, sitting nine points below the cutline. He aims to secure a victory over the next three weeks and believes that Las Vegas offers a great opportunity to clinch his second win of the 2024 season.

"Well, I think you can be really, really solid and probably get through but you know. I would like to go win our way in. I think we're very capable of that. I look at Vegas next week as a great opportunity. And same for Homestead, Martinsville. So, yeah, I always say, you get to this round and, you know, it really is game on. I think anybody has a shot, so I'm ready to get going," he told SiriusXM.

He finished 12th earlier this season at Las Vegas Motor Speedway and is seeking better results this weekend.