Chase Elliott: "I think I’m in a good place mentally"

Elliott is comfortably seventh in the point standings — the top-ranked Hendrick Motorsports driver. In the playoff point standings, Elliott ranks 14th — the first driver without a victory — but trails his winning teammates Jimmie Johnson and Kasey Kahne. Elliott has a 29-point advantage over 16th-place Matt Kenseth, and barring catastrophic runs at Bristol, Darlington or Richmond, he should be a lock to return to the playoffs.

Sure, Elliott faced initial pressure when he took over the No. 24 Chevy from four-time champion Jeff Gordon. But now, well into his second season in the car, Elliott must get the monkey off his back and race into Victory Lane.

“I will say it is definitely something to strive for, for sure,” Elliott said. “When the guy next door (Johnson) is winning a lot of races, coming off of a championship season, I don’t necessarily know that it’s pressure. But I think it definitely drives you to want to do that and know that you have that opportunity and the same chance he does next door.”

When Kasey Kahne arrived at Hendrick Motorsports, the expectations were high. On the outside, the opportunity should have been the best of his career. Despite all the resources in his arsenal, Kahne won just twice in four years in what is considered some of the best equipment in NASCAR.

No sophomore slump

Although Elliott is still establishing his place at HMS, he doesn’t want to base his performance on his teammates' accomplishments — good, bad or indifferent.

“If we are somewhere, and we are struggling and he is not, then I don’t think there is any excuse for that,” Elliott said. “That is kind of how I view it. If that is the case then I want to make sure I do my job to the full potential that I feel like I can do it at. In my eyes, if they are having a good day, I think we can have a good day too.”

Elliott has exhibited speed since joining Hendrick Motorsports. He’s earned three poles — all at restrictor plate tracks, and his career-average qualifying effort is three positions better than his finishes.

In his second season, Elliott has avoided a sophomore slump. He has improved both his average qualifying effort and his average finish. He’s led more laps at this point in the season than last year and is four positions higher in the standings. But that first win has still eluded the driver.

“I think I’m in a good place mentally,” Elliott said. “I just think for a lot of things that you go through, the good and the bad, you do have to let some of it just go because there’s going to be days where you’re giving it all you have and it doesn’t work out for you. Some days that’s your fault. And if that is my fault, those are the emotional days and those are the ones I’m going to be really frustrated with, as we’ve all seen. I want to hold myself accountable.

“And there are some days where we might have just all missed it as a team. And we’re going to run good together and run bad together, regardless. So, you really have to let all the days go whether they were good or bad. But no, I don’t think it’s eating at us per se. I feel like we’re all in a good place mentally. I am. I think (crew chief) Alan (Gustafson) is."

Certainly, a win would provide the ultimate insurance policy for the playoffs, but the morale boost it could offer the No. 24 team would make the playoff lock pale by comparison.