An damage and a suspension disrupted the primary half of Chase Elliott’s season and dropped him far beneath the playoff cutline. Yet he isn’t panicking.

Six races stay within the common season. Elliott is 60 factors beneath the cutline. This will not be a recipe for achievement, but it surely doesn’t change his mindset heading into Pocono.

“My thought process since all this has happened is that we are going to have to win,” Elliott mentioned throughout a Friday press convention.

“That is kind of what everybody was saying until we had a few good weeks of points and then everybody was like ‘Oh, he can point his way in.’ So, the storylines can change pretty fast.”

This mindset is one which Elliott shares with Hendrick Motorsports vice chairman Jeff Gordon. Making the playoffs on factors is suitable, however the aim is to win races and actually contend for a championship.

The Hall of Famer defined this throughout a July 14 look on SiriusXM NASCAR Radio: “We know what challenges that they’ve had to get themselves behind, and they’ve been fighting hard to get back into it and get themselves in the playoffs.

“But at the same time, you want to do it by winning, and you want to do it in a way that when you make it into the playoffs, you’re going to go deep in the playoffs.”

Winning is the aim, however work stays. The No. 9 group has to run persistently inside the highest 10 to be able to take that subsequent step. This is one thing that has eluded it since Elliott’s return from a fractured tibia in April.

Compare the primary 20 races final season with the present marketing campaign. Elliott had three wins and top-10 finishes in 70% of his begins. He then gained at Pocono in his twenty first begin.

This 12 months, Elliott has made 13 begins. He has but to win, and he solely has top-10 finishes in 53.8% of his begins.

Now take a look at qualifying — Elliott had a mean beginning place of 10.7 final season with three pole wins.

This 12 months, his common beginning place is eighteen.7 by way of 13 races. This quantity will solely change after Pocono as Elliott spun throughout qualifying. He will begin thirty fifth after failing to finish a lap.

Despite the stop-and-start nature of the season and the struggles, Elliott has indicated that he has truly loved a part of the expertise. Fighting for factors and consistency has offered a bit of little bit of a throwback really feel, and he has had “fun” making an attempt to alter a few of the narratives.

“In those situations like in years past — like last year when we had a good year — We had a lot of playoff points going into the postseason, and I am glad we did because that got us to Phoenix,” Elliott mentioned.

“But in years that we didn’t, it was about that you had to show up every week and really get it in those last 10 (weeks) if you wanted to advance, and that is really kind of how it feels now.”

Pocono is the following alternative for Elliott and the No. 9 group. This monitor is one the place Elliott has been constant general. He has eight top-10 finishes and 4 top-fives in 13 profession begins. He also inherited the win final 12 months after initially ending third behind the disqualified Denny Hamlin and Kyle Busch.

Elliott has carried out effectively at Pocono Raceway in his profession. He nonetheless isn’t significantly assured in his capability to contend for the win. This weekend will likely be extra about placing himself close to the entrance of the pack for the ultimate restart in order that he can maintain “chipping away” after the latest stretch of races.

Sonoma, Nashville and Chicago had been strong outings for Elliott. He completed fifth, fourth and third. Atlanta and New Hampshire ended with Elliott exterior of the highest 10.

Elliott fell a lap down at New Hampshire after combating dealing with early, however he was capable of benefit from back-to-back cautions and the wave round. He salvaged his day and prevented dropping factors. He simply didn’t acquire any.

Elliott has skilled the ups and downs of Cup racing this season. He has celebrated strong performances and confronted adversity. He has taken on every second whereas ignoring distractions. All that’s left is for him to handle enterprise within the remaining regular-season races.

“It’s just riding the wave,” Elliott mentioned. “It’s like my dad has said over the years – ‘You just have to ride the wave and continue to put the work in, and it will work itself out.’”