"I think he's getting tired of hearing about Kyle Larson": Kevin Harvick makes head-turning remark about Chase Elliott's erupting 'aggression' 

Kevin Harvick has pointed out Chase Elliott's recent rise in aggressive driving at the racetracks. The retired NASCAR Cup Series champion highlighted that the #9 Hendrick Motorsports driver's breaking point is inching as he's "tired of hearing about Kyle Larson" and others, and thus, 'aggression' could erupt at the Martinsville Speedway.

Elliott has shown signs of dominance since the 2024 season began and his Texas Motor Speedway win secured his playoff entry. However, since the road to the championship commenced at the Atlanta Motor Speedway, the 2020 Cup Series champion's performance has taken a back seat, compared to his teammate Larson.

While Larson's #5 Chevy has posted two playoff wins at Bristol Motor Speedway and Charlotte Roval, and three top-5s, the #9 Chevy driver has registered three top-5s and five top-10s. Though the 8-race stat hints toward domination, it has proved insufficient to keep Elliott above the elimination line.

However, Elliott's performance in the recent three races, at Charlotte, Las Vegas, and Homestead-Miami, has seen an upward trend in his front running capabilities. Keeping the most recent Homestead race in mind, Kevin Harvick believes Chase Elliott's aggression would erupt at Martinsville Speedway, where the latter last won during his championship year.

"I truly think that Chase Elliott is getting tired of hearing about everybody else being aggressive and I think he's just finally getting to that point where it's like, 'Hmm...I'm gonna show you, and I'm going to push people around, I'm going to do what I have to do,'" Harvick said via Harvick Happy Hour (0:14).

"I think he's getting tired of hearing about Kyle Larson and everybody else around him and just knowing that NextGen mentality that you have to have with that over-aggressive attitude, I feel like after watching Homestead that he has that ability," he added (0:39).

Placed last in the playoffs, Elliott will enter the Round of 8 elimination race with a 43-point deficit.

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"I didn't really have anything left to push": Chase Elliott reflects on his Homestead-Miami race

Overall, Chase Elliott performed strongly in the Straight Talk Wireless 400 race. The #9 Chevy driver kicked off the 267-lap event from seventh place. He caught up with the frontrunners to post a third-place finish in Stage 1 and continued with the front-running pace throughout the second stage, collecting a P2 finish.

Notably, Elliott stood the best HMS finisher among all his playoff teammates, Larson (P13) and William Byron (P6). But the playoff picture paints a different picture. While Byron is just above the provisional divider in fourth and Larson is below in fifth, Elliott has a lot of work to do to revive from his eighth place and 43-point deficit.

After wrapping up his run in fifth place, Elliott became self-critical, outlining he didn't do a great job at managing his race. The HMS driver said via SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.

"I had just gotten tighter and tighter as the day went on, I was just trying to manage that, you know, on the front side of a run, and ultimately, I didn't do a great job of managing it. When the pace got quicker and everyone started pushing, I didn't really have anything left to push," Elliott said.

Chase Elliott is in a virtually must-win situation at Martinsville to keep himself afloat in the title fight.