"This is the format they created" - $12M-worth Chase Elliott addresses Harrison Burton's NASCAR playoffs spot

Star NASCAR driver Chase Elliott weighed in on the ongoing debate surrounding the win-and-you're-in playoff format. Harrison Burton's victory at Daytona sparked the conversation as the #21 Wood Brothers Racing driver will fight for the championship despite occupying 34th place in the standings.

In a recent interview with Bob Pockrass, Elliott was asked if he held any reservations about the criteria to enter the playoffs. The #9 Hendrick Motorsports driver mentioned that he was thrilled to see Burton in the victory lane and reckoned that ultimately the governing body held the power to modify the format.

Elliott, worth $12 million (as per Celebrity Net Worth), further added that Burton and Wood Brothers Racing have played by the rules created by NASCAR, winning their way into the playoffs. Elliott insists that questioning Burton's playoff eligibility would be unfair as they didn't breach any rules.

"Man, that's tough! I probably have a lot of opinions on that stuff but I totally let them make the calls and as it pertains to the last weekend, Harrison did a good job," Elliott said.

"I'm really just happy for them. Look they don't make the rules, NASCAR makes the rules and this is the situation, this is the format they created. This is what you're going to get sometimes whenever the cards fall like they did on Saturday night. So I think for any of us to question that is just unfair because this is the reality, that's the format that they rightfully took advantage of," he added.

Previously, NASCAR implemented a rule that prevented drivers ranked below the top 30 in the Cup Series standings from entering the playoffs. However, the rule was scrapped ahead of the 2023 season.

Chase Elliott and Harrison Burton will be contending for the championship this season. There are still three playoff spots up for grabs heading into the regular season finale at Darlington Raceway.

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Chase Elliott in contention for the 2024 regular season title

NASCAR returns to Darlington Raceway for the Southern 500, which serves as the regular season finale for the 2024 Cup Series campaign. Three drivers are in contention for the title as Tyler Reddick leads the regular season standings with 823 points, 17 points ahead of Kyle Larson and 18 ahead of Chase Elliott.

Elliott's DNF at Daytona hurt his chances of closing the gap to Reddick while losing a spot to his Hendrick Motorsports teammate Larson. Winning the regular season title will be crucial for the #9 Hendrick Motorsports driver as he has scored fewer playoff points compared to his rivals.

Chase Elliott's chances of outscoring Reddick and Larson at Darlington aren't high, given Larson's status as the defending winner of the Southern 500. Reddick led 174 laps earlier this season at the 1.366-mile oval and was in contention for victory last year, leading 90 laps and finishing second.

Having won the regular season championship in 2022, Elliott will be aiming for his second title and his first crown jewel victory on September 1 at Darlington.