“It could ruin your year”: Chase Elliott raises eyebrows with his claim on NASCAR’s rule that may force drivers to “think twice”

NASCAR driver Chase Elliott recently voiced his concerns over the newly updated Playoff Waiver rule, which is set to take effect in 2025. The Hendrick Motorsports star spoke with FOX Sports journalist Bob Pockrass and said that the new rule won't be a solution in every possible scenario. However, he believes it will make the drivers think twice before taking action if they are having a good season until they need a waiver.

The updated regulation states that any driver who requires a waiver for non-medical reasons, such as attending the birth of a child, dealing with a family emergency, or due to age restrictions, will lose all previously earned playoff points. Furthermore, the drivers won't be able to accumulate any new playoff points once the waiver is granted.

If they qualify for the postseason, the drivers will begin with a minimum of 2000 points, placing them at a disadvantage. Here's what Chase Elliott had to say on the new Playoff Waiver rule:

"Like last year's situation with Kyle (Larson), I think that would have made that decision really straight forward right? Just because they would never have chanced that... I think it's an added deterrent for taking on-track action for whatever it may be, it might get you in trouble."

"But to your point, you want to try and think through things before something happens right? But for anyone to think that's going to solve everything in every situation probably isn't true but certainly, it's like a good way to make you think twice because that could ruin your year if you're having a good year prior to that. So, I would like to think that myself and everyone else would be smart enough to recognize that going into it hopefully," Chase Elliott concluded.

The governing body of the sport updated the rule on the back of last year's drama between Kyle Larson and NASCAR. Larson missed the Coca-Cola 600 for his foray into IndyCar, running the Indianapolis 500. Under the new rules, Larson would have lost all playoff points he might have collected before the race at Charlotte.

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Chase Elliott receives praise for his strong start in 2025

Chase Elliott began his 2025 NASCAR season in the best possible way by winning the season-opening exhibition race at Bowman Gray Stadium. The Hendrick Motorsports driver showed good form as he dominated the race, leading 171 out of 200 laps. He held off constant pressure from Denny Hamlin for most of the race and then protected his lead against Ryan Blaney in the closing stages.

Hendrick Motorsports president Jeff Andrews praised Chase Elliott's strong start, highlighting the team's goal to “Thrive in ’25.” Andrews shared that Rick Hendrick introduced the motivational slogan ahead of the season, setting the tone for the new campaign.

"Yeah really good start. You know [we] start off by saying 'Thrive in '25'. That's what we started off our kickoff luncheon with earlier this week. Mr. Hendrick came up with that slogan for us this year. So that's a great way to start thriving in '25 with a win here," Andrews said in a conversation with SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.

Hendrick Motorsports kicked off the 2024 season with a win in the Daytona 500 on their 40th anniversary with William Byron and would be hoping to win the 67th running of the Great American Race.