Count Chase Elliott among the NASCAR Cup Series drivers who are thrilled by the return to the 10-race Chase to determine the champion—and not because his name happens to match the name of the format.
“Motorsports is just a little different, and I think we’ve we spent an awful lot of time trying to be like everybody else,” Elliott said on Wednesday during DAYTONA 500 Media Day at Daytona International Speedway. “I’m really proud of leadership of saying, ‘Hey look, let’s be us and let’s go do our own thing.’
“The Chase format was really unlike anything else in sports, that I could remember at that time, when it came out. Very genuine, very original. I think it fits. It never felt like a playoff to me, and not because of my name, but ‘The Chase’ does sound good. It sounds like racing. It sounds like a racing term.”
Elliott also believes the 10-race scenario could reward the sort of consistency he has shown in recent years. In both 2024 and 2025, Elliott finished on the lead lap in 32 of 36 points races.
“I like our chances, for sure,” said Elliott, the Cup Series’ perennial Most Popular Driver. “I think that you’re going to have to perform at a really high level for 10 weeks. There will be more room in there for you to have, I don’t want to say a bad day—you might get away with one bad day—but you’re going to have to perform at a really high level.
“That was the case before, but I like the fact that it gives it time for things to come out in the wash. You know, if you have one bad pit stop, it doesn’t ruin your championship at Phoenix. That was the part that always was difficult from my perspective. Whether I was a part of it or if I was watching it, (it) was kind of hard.”
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