No driver or team in the NASCAR Cup Series aims to be in a must-win situation during the playoffs.
While some may say the pressure of gunning for a win instead of points racing is less stressful, the outcome can only be one result to advance — winning.
For Ryan Blaney and Chase Elliott, their hopes of reaching the Championship 4 and a shot at winning a second Cup Series title at Phoenix Raceway on Nov. 10 hinges on winning at Martinsville (Va.) Speedway this weekend.
After Tyler Reddick’s heroic last-lap pass on Blaney sent the 23XI Racing driver to the championship round at Homestead-Miami Speedway and Blaney’s runner-up effort dropped him to 38 markers below the cutline.
Elliott finished fifth on Sunday after leading 81 laps at the 1.5-mile oval, the second-most laps led by any driver at Homestead. Without a victory in the Round of 8, Elliott is in an even deeper hole than Blaney at 43 points in the red.
Winning is the only way either driver can reach the Championship 4.
However, there is a silver lining. Both drivers have won at Martinsville to reach the Cup Series’ title-deciding race.
Last year while Blaney entered Martinsville 10 points above the cutline, he assured his playoff hopes were in his No. 12 Team Penske team’s hands as they won the event after leading 145 laps.
The No. 12 team headed to the track a week later and finished runner-up at Phoenix, which allowed Blaney to notch his first career Cup Series championship.
On the flip side, Elliott and the No. 9 Hendrick Motorsports team were in a similar situation in 2020. Elliott was 25 points below the cutline prior to the green flag.
Elliott, however, led a whopping 236 laps at “The Paperclip” to secure his spot in the championship round.
A week later, Elliott backed up his Martinsville dominance with a victory at Phoenix, which secured his first Cup Series title.
Everything has to go right for either driver to conquer Martinsville. However, Blaney and Elliott can have confidence in knowing that they’ve both accomplished that feat before.