Credit: Jim Dedmon-Imagn Images
At the outset of the Round of 12 in the NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs, Chase Elliott encountered a significant challenge: an engine change was required after qualifying. However, the situation could have been far worse had it arisen during the race itself.
During practice at Kansas Speedway on Saturday, the Hendrick Motorsports No. 9 team identified an engine issue, resulting in Elliott starting from the back of the pack.
“We examined all the possible issues on pit road,” explained Elliott, who won the Cup Series championship in 2020. “Obviously, dealing with an engine problem can make it tough to pinpoint the exact failure. As I came off Turn 2, I felt like the engine dropped a cylinder, there was a noticeable sound change, and I lost a significant amount of power. I realized something was wrong, so I quickly came in to prevent further damage. It’s extremely disappointing to have something go wrong at such a crucial moment. The Hendrick engine shop has been outstanding throughout my career. I don’t think I can count on my fingers the number of engine problems I’ve faced, so while I’m upset, I’d prefer this problem happen now rather than during the race tomorrow.”
Despite the setback, Elliott has a long race ahead of him, particularly at Kansas—a fast, wide track that allows quicker cars to overtake. His primary concern is that starting from the back may cost him valuable points by the end of Stage 1.
Conversely, Christopher Bell starts this round with a comfortable margin for error. After securing the pole position, he will have the chance to earn additional stage points to strengthen his lead ahead of challenging races at Talladega and the Charlotte Roval.
Of course, winning could render all of this irrelevant.
“Win this week,” Bell responded when asked about managing the risks associated with Talladega. “That’s a fantastic question. There’s really no way to hide from it, although it seems like the fall Talladega race has been more subdued compared to the spring races in recent years. I’m not sure. Superspeedway racing, as I’ve often said, isn’t my preferred style, which emphasizes the importance of tomorrow’s race for us in securing stage points. Ideally, winning would be the best outcome, but our primary goal is to approach Talladega with a significant points cushion.”
Playoff Driver Starting Spots
Christopher Bell (1st)
Tyler Reddick (4th)
Joey Logano (5th)
William Byron (6th)
Ryan Blaney (7th)
Denny Hamlin (8th)
Chase Briscoe (9th)
Daniel Suarez (10th)
Kyle Larson (11th)
Alex Bowman (12th)
Austin Cindric (17th)
Chase Elliott (38th)
Quotables
Joey Logano and Ryan Blaney had a strong start to the weekend.
“It feels great to begin in the top five,” Logano stated. “I believe our car performed better today than in the past couple of years. I’m proud of the improvements we’ve made to get competitive. We need to focus on earning stage points and being solid tomorrow, which is crucial. I think we are closer to our peak performance here than we have been in a long time, considering this venue has been one of our toughest.”
Ryan Blaney echoed these sentiments.
“it was a good day. Advancing to the second round is a positive since qualifying hasn’t been my strong point here. I’m pleased to start inside the top 10. Our race pace during practice looked promising, so we’ll see how it goes during the race tomorrow. All in all, it’s a promising start to the weekend.”
Denny Hamlin is also aiming to maximize his points at one of his most favorable tracks.
“The Roval will definitely present challenges, but everyone will face obstacles learning the new layout,” Hamlin commented. “We want to accomplish as much as possible over the next two weeks. Having a larger points buffer before the final race is key due to the potential for significant changes during the stages.”
“It’s incredibly difficult to pass at the Roval. We’ve seen drivers who stay out for stage points struggle to return to the front, regardless of how good their car is. Therefore, generally speaking, having a buffer going into that track allows for better strategic options.”
Like Hamlin, Tyler Reddick, a driver at 23XI Racing, also survived a challenging first round, but benefited from being the regular-season champion with a substantial points cushion, which continues into this second round after the reset.
“Our first round didn’t go well at all,” Reddick admitted. “Several factors contributed to that, but we’ve consistently performed well enough this year to secure top 10 finishes even in tough situations. Some handling issues arose at tracks where we typically excelled, which impacted our performance in the first round. I believe we could have scored some valuable points, especially in the last two races.”
“We were just a bit off – I made mistakes in qualifying when I shouldn’t have…”
We found ourselves back in that position, feeling a bit desperate, or maybe a bit aggressive, in our attempt to score some points. We’re able to review the results and recognize why we ended up there. We aren’t puzzled about our poor performance; we understand the reasons behind it. It is what it is. It’s frustrating, but we have the opportunity to reset and begin anew for this round, just like we did at the beginning.
