Entering this past weekend’s Cup Series race at Talladega (Ala.) Superspeedway, no playoff driver had yet secured a win in the first four playoff races.
Talladega didn’t appear to be a prime candidate for that streak to end as its typical unpredictable nature leaves it prone to produce new or unexpected winners.
Elliott, however, ended up mastering the chaos in a race featuring 57 lead changes among 17 drivers and out-dueled Ryan Blaney on the last lap to earn his fifth victory of the year.
Blaney had led the way on the final restart with two of 188 laps to go and still remained out front starting the final lap.
Just enough at the line
As the field came off Turn 4, Blaney was on the inside with Michael McDowell behind him, while Elliott ran up top with Erik Jones behind him.
Jones gave Elliott a shove to push him past Blaney for the lead and those two ended up racing side-by-side to the checkered flag with Elliott winning by a scant 0.046 seconds.
“Just felt like when we took the green for the restart, I thought my opportunity to win was to get up in the top lane. It was certainly a risky move,” Elliott, 26, said. “I felt like we had accumulated a decent number of stage points throughout the day, so it made me feel a little bit better about moving up there, trying to give myself a shot to win.
“I just didn’t think I was going to be able to win from the third lane, the bottom row, with that few laps left. I just thought that was my shot.”
Locked in
It was quite a turnaround for a driver who had wrecked out of the first race of the first two rounds of the playoffs and it came with a big reward.
The win automatically sends Elliott into the semifinal round of the playoffs regardless of how he finishes at this weekend’s race at the Charlotte Roval.
Giving Elliott free reign on the Roval – where he’s won two of the four races in its history – provides him and his No. 9 Hendrick Motorsports team a golden opportunity to add additional playoff points from stage wins or even another race victory.
Elliott may finally be enjoying the benefits of being one of the most consistent performers in what has been a very tumultuous season of racing.
“I feel like I’ve been doing this long enough now to understand the roller coaster that is racing. It’s going to roll on, right?” the 2020 series champion said. “You either learn to ride it during the good days, during the bad days, too, or you don’t. That’s just part of the deal.
“So, yeah, just try to ride the wave. Had a bad week last week, had a good week this week. Obviously, great to move on into the next round, get six more bonus points. All those things are fantastic, we’re super proud of that.”
Elliott also recognizes this season’s playoffs have so far offered no guarantees.
“This deal can humble you. We can go to the Round of 8 and crash again like we did the first two rounds, or you can go in there and maybe have a really good first race,” he said.
“I don’t know. You show up prepared, do the best you can, figure it out from there.”
