Chase Elliott survived the Round of 12 by the skin of his teeth. After a clutch win at Kansas, he did just enough at Charlotte to advance to the NASCAR Cup Series playoffs’ Round of 8. But with a 14-point deficit below the cutline, his championship hopes were already on life support. He needs a statement performance to survive, and his start at Las Vegas shows he might be ready to deliver one.

How Did Chase Elliott’s Qualifying Change His Las Vegas Outlook?

Elliott made his strategy clear ahead of the race in Las Vegas: shut out the noise, believe in himself, and give it his best shot. During a media session on Saturday, the Hendrick Motorsports driver emphasized that he is focusing on his own performance in the “City of Lights.”

“I’m not going to sit there and, you know, only pay attention to them. I have enough going on on my own. So for me, it’s just all about just trying to maximize the things that I can do, you know,” he said.

Shortly after, he proved this was more than talk. Elliott put down a blistering lap in the Las Vegas Motor Speedway qualifying session. While Denny Hamlin ultimately claimed the pole, Elliott secured the fourth starting spot, positioning himself just behind Chase Briscoe and Christopher Bell, who finished second and third, respectively.

Elliott’s NAPA Auto Parts Chevrolet crossed the line with 29.259 seconds, just slightly behind Hamlin’s pole-winning time of 29.213 seconds. If the qualifiers are any indication, Sunday’s race at the 1.5-mile track promises to be a tight battle, and Elliott’s strong starting position could give him a significant advantage.

However, the 29-year-old has never won a race at Las Vegas. His best finish came in September 2021, when he finished runner-up to Hamlin. The recent past has been even tougher, as he has not finished inside the top 10 in his last five starts there and finished outside the top 20 in three of those races.

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Elliott acknowledged the challenges he has faced at Las Vegas in the Next Gen era, saying: “I thought we had some pretty good runs (at Las Vegas) prior to Next Gen, and then the inception of the Next Gen car, I feel like it was a pretty big step backwards.”

That context makes his qualifying performance a potential turning point. Elliott has not started higher than fifth at Las Vegas since March 2022, and his average starting position over the last five races at the track is a dismal 20th. This strong start provides a much-needed boost.

To advance to the next playoff round, Elliott must either secure a win at Las Vegas or deliver solid results in the upcoming races at Talladega and Martinsville. While the pressure is immense, his excellent qualifying effort suggests he is far from being counted out, despite his past disappointments at this track.