Chase Elliott Eyes Rebound Opportunity At Texas Motor Speedway

Story By: NASCAR – FORT WORTH, TX – No one was more disappointed following last Sunday’s Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs Round of 8 opener at Martinsville Speedway than Chase Elliott.

The No. 24 driver held the lead at the Southern Virginia short track with three laps to go and looked well on his way to his first career win and a berth in the Championship 4 race at Homestead-Miami Speedway. Then, Denny Hamlin smacked Elliott’s back bumper, sent him into the wall, and ended his day.

“We had a great car today and we had an opportunity,” said Elliott after furiously confronting Hamlin following the race. “We had a good restart there at the end and felt like I was doing what I needed to do. And I can’t control his decisions and whatever the hell that was. We’re on to Texas.”

On to Texas Motor Speedway Elliott will go for Sunday’s AAA Texas 500 (2 p.m. ET on NBCSN) – the penultimate race of the Round of 8. As a result of the Martinsville wreck, Elliott dropped to eighth on the Playoff Grid, 26 points below Kevin Harvick on the cutoff line. He essentially has to win one of the next two races – at Texas or Phoenix – to compete for the championship at Homestead.

In three starts at Texas, Elliott has finished fifth (spring 2016), fourth (fall 2016) and ninth (spring 2017). His 9.6 average running position at the 1.5-mile track ranks second among active drivers.

Elliott has finished fourth or better in the last four Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series races at 1.5-mile tracks: third at Kentucky, second at Chicago, second at Charlotte and fourth at Kansas.

“Looking forward to getting back to Texas – it’s a fun place to go,” Elliott said. “I enjoy going there and after the good runs we had there last season, I’m definitely looking forward to returning. In the spring we had a pretty good car, our teammate won, so good things to look back to for that race when we go back.”

XFINTIY Playoffs Leader Allgaier Wants Texas Playoffs Win

Although he sits first on the NASCAR XFINITY Series Playoff Grid – a comfortable 33 points above Matt Tifft on the cutoff line – Justin Allgaier knows fortunes can change in a hurry in the sport’s gauntlet postseason.

The format of NASCAR’s Playoffs makes knowing what he has to do in Saturday’s O’Reilly Auto Parts 300 at Texas Motor Speedway (8:30 p.m. ET on NBCSN) straightforward.

“Our goal going into Texas is to win so we can lock ourselves into the Championship 4, but if we can finish this race strong and maintain the points lead, I’d be more than happy with that too,” Allgaier said.

The No. 7 JR Motorsports Chevrolet driver enters Saturday’s contest riding a streak of six top-10 finishes in his last seven races. In 14 career starts at Texas, Allgaier has seven top-10 showings and a 12.4 average finish.

“I always look forward to racing at Texas,” Allgaier said. “It’s just a fun atmosphere, especially racing under the lights. There’s a lot on the line these next two races and we’re up against some tough competitors, but I know this team is up for the challenge.”

Rhodes Wants Win At Texas

With two races left in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series’ Round of 6, Ben Rhodes holds the final transfer spot to the Championship 4 race at Homestead-Miami Speedway by 11 points over Austin Cindric.

Although Rhodes is in good shape, he knows he still has work to do, beginning with Friday’s JAG Metals 350 at Texas Motor Speedway (8 p.m. ET on FS1). The No. 27 ThorSport racing driver hopes to get a victory for automatic advancement to the Championship 4.

“Our mile-and-a-half program has been our strongpoint this season, so I definitely think we can get a win,” Rhodes said. “The challenge is going to be once again with the new surface and making sure we qualify up front for track position.”

Rhodes won the last race at a 1.5-mile track – Las Vegas on Oct. 14. He placed fifth at Texas in June and owns a 10.3 average finish in three career starts there.

“Texas Motor Speedway is a very fast racetrack with a lot of grip,” Rhodes said. “And we’ve performed quite well at tracks that have a lot of grip.”