Chase Elliott may be synonymous with consistency, but he hasn’t played in the Chase format before. While most of the drivers have been generally positive about it, Elliott offers a much more grounded take on it, stressing how your past won’t affect the future, and what he truly feels about race wins.

Elliott sheds light on the wins

In a recent interview with Frontstretch, Elliott shed light on the change NASCAR brought in the championship format this season after years of being detested by fans and experts. In the current format, the wins will have utmost priority, feels Elliott.

“I think it’s easy to say that or easy to look at that. With the stats, I guess, of the last couple of years, but I’ve also learned that doesn’t mean that the year ahead is gonna go the same way. So I always kind of keep that in mind and make support for everyone to keep that in mind. I think for us and I guess my mindset is not really any different. I think you’re still gonna have to perform at a high level. The amount of points you get for a win is a lot.”

Following this, Elliott focused on how Tyler Reddick managed to form a massive gap in the championship by winning two back-to-back races. With this, he went on to emphasize, how consistency, paired with win can make up most of the season.

“I’m not sure how far Tyler is out, but he’s gotta have a huge lead at this point. So he only won two races and has a huge lead. So I think wins are still a really big deal. And I just like the fact that you have enough time for things to kind of come out in the wash.

“Some guys have had some really competitive and great drivers. They’ve had some unfortunate finishes just from the fact that we were speedway racing the last couple weeks. And it’s not gonna take them long to get back up in the mix. So I think that I’m just happy that there’s enough time,” Elliott further added.

So far, Chase Elliott is sitting in third in the standings (81 points), behind Tyler Reddick (125) and Bubba Wallace (85). His words prove his point, as with just two steps away from the standings leader, there’s still a huge 44-point gap. Just with two wins, Reddick feels miles ahead of Wallace and Elliott, who share a mere 4-point gap between them.

Notably, NASCAR brought back the Chase format this season by replacing the playoff format. With this, the stock car racing body tried to put more emphasis on consistency and remove the ‘win and you’re in’ system.

Under this format, the drivers will need to perform throughout the season, where the top 10 drivers with the highest points will qualify for the Chase after 26 regular-season races. They will then go for Chase in the final 10 races, and the driver with the highest points will win the championship.

With that said, consistency is key in 2026, as Chase Elliott will need to maximize his chances this year and continue the form he’s known for all along. However, Elliott and his team will need to avoid the Atlanta mishap that took place last week if they want to make the most of this format.

Kevin Harvick reflects on costly Chase Elliott mistake by Hendrick Motorsports

During the Autotrader 400 at the EchoPark Speedway last Sunday, team #9 of Hendrick Motorsports had an unfortunate mistake with the driver. Elliott, who pitted during one of the pit stops that day, overshot his pit stall, and then had to back up.

In doing so, the driver ran over the hose, wasting a critical 23 seconds. As a result, Elliott, who was running for victory at Atlanta, had to settle for 11th position. Reacting to it, former NASCAR driver, and analyst Kevin Harvick shared his thoughts, calling it a mistake that ruined his day.

“He was in the game at this point. Right up front,” Harvick said in the Kevin Harvick’s Happy Hour podcast. “After he slid through the pit box, it took him a long time to get back to the front. He wound up somewhat in contention, but never where he was at this point. So it really, it took them out of the conversation for the rest of the day.”

For a track like Atlanta, where drafting is very important, maintaining track position means everything. Under this scenario, having a costly pit stop is surely going to jeopardize one’s run, as happened with Chase Elliott.