The fall race at Martinsville Speedway tends to end with an equal combination of hurt feelings and hurt fenders among the NASCAR Cup Series drivers, particularly those competing for a spot in the Championship 4.
There‘s one surefire way to avoid all the pit-road conflict and difficult post-race interviews: Win the race.
Defending series champion Chase Elliott knows that well, having been on both sides of the issue. The Hendrick Motorsports driver discussed the upcoming race in detail Thursday on NASCAR Twitter Spaces.
“I think as the race goes along, that intensity and that want to win becomes heightened,” Elliott told hosts Alex Weaver, Jonathan Merryman and Mamba Smith. “And I think it‘s always so circumstantial, right? You don‘t know exactly how the race is going to play. I just think you have to really be prepared for anything. There are guys in situations where they have to win, guys who don‘t. The best place to be in all this is out front. If you can be better than the rest, that‘s a safe place to be.”
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Elliott’s win at Martinsville in 2020 propelled him into the title field at Phoenix, where he won the race and his first series championship. Back in 2017, he was on the other end. Driving the No. 24 at the time, Elliott was moved up the track and spun by Denny Hamlin in the closing laps when Martinsville was the opening race of the Round of 8, not the closer.
“I don‘t think there‘s ever a safe space at Martinsville. My goal is to be in front of people far enough to where they can‘t get to you,” Elliott said when discussing Sunday’s Xfinity 500 (2 p.m. ET, NBC/NBC Sports App/Peacock, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio). “Desperation sets in at some point if your season is in jeopardy. The best way to (avoid that) is just to be better than everybody else. That‘s our goal.”