In a race where his Hendrick Motorsports teammates William Byron and Kyle Larson marched their way into the Championship 4, Chase Elliott missed out.
Elliott needed a flawless day at Martinsville Speedway to advance past the Round of 8. But he was eliminated from NASCAR Cup Series title contention with a third-place finish.
That means NASCAR’s perennial most popular driver won’t accomplish his ultimate goal for the fifth consecutive season. This will be the third year in a row that the 2020 champ has missed the Championship 4.
What Went Wrong For Chase Elliott At Martinsville Speedway?
In a major points hole after disappointing results in the first two Round of 8 races, Chase Elliott faced a must-win scenario at Martinsville.
How deep of a hole was Elliott in?
He arrived at the .526-mile short track ranked last among the six drivers looking to grab one of two remaining Championship 4 berths.
So, with that, it was win or bust for the driver of the No. 9 Chevy.
Although Elliott ran well, poor track position ultimately played a key role in him finishing no better than third.
“I was just hoping, in my position, to get to a spot where I could maybe capitalize if something crazy happened,” the second-generation driver and son of NASCAR Hall of Famer Bill Elliott said. “Outside of that, we just got a little too far behind at the three-quarter mark.
“We got caught a lap down in the (pit) cycle. And then from there, we were just kind of playing catch-up.”
While Hendrick Motorsports teammate William Byron led 304 laps and punched a ticket to the Championship 4 with a commanding victory in the Round of 8 elimination race, Elliott never reached the front.
“We just weren’t quite good enough, truthfully,” the Dawsonville, Georgia native and resident said. “William and the No. 24 team did a great job and capitalized on a fast Saturday. They put themselves in a good spot and got it done.”
Chase Elliott Offers Some Perspective On Up-And-Down 2025 Season
The 2025 NASCAR Cup Series season will certainly be remembered as a mixed bag for Chase Elliott.
On the positive side, he enjoyed his first multi-win season since 2022. He also made it through the first two playoff rounds, which is no small achievement.
On the not-so-positive side, his No. 9 cars lacked consistent race-winning speed. Also, he went to Victory Lane just twice, less than both William Byron and Kyle Larson — his two teammates in the Championship 4.
Even with the disappointments, Elliott takes solace in the fact that his team seems to be trending in the right direction headed into the off-season.
“I feel like we’ve had some of our best races over the last month,” Elliott said. “It’s a lot of fun to end the year strong and be up there in the mix a lot more. I’m proud of that. And the fight all day today and throughout the week.”
Elliott also praised the Hendrick organization as a whole for giving him a fighting chance at Martinsville.
“The effort everybody at Hendrick Motorsports put into these cars and just trying to bring our very best here, I thought we did that,” he said. “Unfortunately, we just came up short.”
Elliott will be pulling for his Hendrick teammates at Phoenix as they battle Joe Gibbs Racing drivers Chase Briscoe and Denny Hamlin for the title.
“Fortunately, we got two cars into the Championship 4,” Elliott said. “And, hopefully, one of them can get it done.”
