“Do you think Chase Elliott is a surprise?”: HMS legend weighs in on who could triumph at Homestead this weekend

Sharing his prediction, ahead of the second playoff race this Sunday, Steve Letarte stated that Chase Elliott could be the driver to look out for when NASCAR hosts the Straight Talk Wireless 400 at Homestead-Miami Speedway.

Letarte sat with NASCAR experts to discuss the upcoming playoff race at Homestead in the Inside The Playoffs podcast. There, the former Hendrick Motorsports crew chief revealed if Elliott wins Sunday's race, it would not be a surprise for him.

Validating his statement, Letarte also put Team Penske driver Joey Logano's example, who claimed the South Point 400 victory last Sunday at Las Vegas Motor Speedway and qualified for the Championship 4.

"I have playoff drivers winning every race in the rounds," Letarte said when asked if the Homestead race can get a surprise winner. "[I] don't have a surprise winner. Now it depends, do you think Chase Elliott's a surprise?"

"It wouldn't be to me, but I do believe a playoff driver wins. Once again, we saw (Joey) Logano last week. I think it's another playoff driver this week," he concluded.

Elliott currently stands last in the NASCAR playoff drivers' standings and has -53 points below the cutline. The #9 Hendrick Motorsports driver triumphed at Texas and qualified for the playoffs. With this, he was set to vie for his second NASCAR Cup Series championship.

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NASCAR expert snubbed Chase Elliott as potential Homestead winner

NASCAR Cup Series driver Chase Elliott (9) during practice for the South Point 400 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. Source: Imagn Inages

NASCAR expert Kevin Harvick ruled Elliott out of the Homestead favorites list. The former NASCAR driver claimed that the #9 driver has been a "little short on speed" throughout the 2024 season, and this very factor could hamper his chance to win the Straight Talk Wireless 400 this Sunday.

"I don't think so," Harvick said on Elliott's chances at Homestead. "The #9 has done a good job; they've been very consistent; they've just been a little short on the speed they need to go out there and dominate a race.

"I don't know, I'm not saying it can't happen, but I don't think the #9's going to go out there and just dominate the race. I think for me the guy that is not in the playoffs, I think this could be the place that Martin Truex Jr. could possibly put it all together," Harvick added.

Chase Elliott did not have the strongest of seasons in 2024, as the Hendrick Motorsports driver claimed only one victory in 34 outings. His average start position has been 12.059, and his average finish position has been 12.118. Elliott claimed 17 top 10s and 10 top 5s.