NASCAR expert Steve Letarte recently shared his take on Hendrick Motorsports driver Chase Elliott's performance this season. He compared Elliott's odds to the over-decade-old playoff system used by the governing body.The analyst claimed that Elliott has been consistent this year, but he lacks dominance. He further pointed out that statistically, the HMS driver has been performing well in categories like speed, passing, and defense. However, numbers aren't enough to dominate the new playoff format.Letarte claimed that Chase Elliott would have led the championship battle according to the 2002, 2003, or 2004 playoff format. But in the 2025 format, Elliott needs to take more risks and win races while being consistent to lead the championship battle. He further explained:"So my only counter today is when I look at the insights ranking. He's seventh of the entire season, on speed, fifth on long run. Speed, first on passing, third on defense, third on victory. Okay, so this is what we need to so he has the numbers. Um, here would be my statement. I think that he has a very throwback year to non throwback system. So in 2004 or three or two, I think that Chase Elliott would be an absolute title contender. In 2025 this consistency, I think this round of eight consistency." [00:08]"You know what I've learned about this playoff system is you just have to get hot at the right time. And I think Chase Elliott has been consistent enough that, if they can build on that, their step to great is much smaller than other guys," he concluded. [01:22]With 770 points to his name, Chase Elliott ranks second in the Cup Series points table. He has secured one win, 12 top-ten finishes, and seven top-five finishes in 24 starts this season. Also, he led 385 laps and has an average finish of 10.958."I'm doing my part": Chase Elliott opened up about what mattered to him during his winless droughtEarlier in July 2025, former NASCAR Cup Series champion Chase Elliott was featured in an interview with former Xfinity Series champion Dale Earnhardt Jr. on Dale Jr. Download on YouTube. During the podcast, Elliott got candid about what he paid attention to while he was on a winless streak.The HMS driver had a strong start at the beginning of the 2025 season and won the non-points-paying race. But the #24 Chevy Camaro ZL1 driver was on a winless drought since April 2024 and had no wins in points-paying races until the second Atlanta Motor Speedway race this season.Recalling the same, Chase Elliott explained what he focused on and stated:"Man, we've just been doing this long enough to know like it all kind of starts and ends with us. We have to make sure we're doing our part, and I'm doing my part, and just bringing everything I can possibly bring every single week. It's the honest conversations that we have on Monday mornings that are either going to make us better or make us fail. All of the pieces of the puzzle are there. We're working on the right things. I think I'm asking for the right things out of the car. I'm really proud of our team for just sticking together." [00:05 via Dirty Mo Media on X]After landing a P26 finish at Watkins Glen International, Chase Elliott is set to compete in the Cook Out 400 at Richmond Raceway on August 16, 2025. USA, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio, and HBO Max will broadcast the 400-lap event live at 7:30 pm.