“More competitive than some” Chase Elliott sends a clear message for Las Vegas playoff race after a ‘big step backwards’ in the Next-Gen era 

Ahead of the first Round of 8 playoff race, Chase Elliott shared his honest thoughts about the "gains" he made in his previous starts at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. The Hendrick Motorsports star struggled to perform at the 'Sin City' since the introduction of the Next Gen cars in 2022.

While Elliott has been one of the most consistent drivers on the field, the 2020 Cup Series champion has just had three wins in the last three seasons with the Chevy roster. As he gears up for the second Las Vegas race this season, the No.9 driver exuded confidence with the progress he has made.

In a media availability before the playoff race, Chase Elliott acknowledged how the Next Gen has impacted the team's performance. He said (via Speedway Digest):

"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."

Furthermore, Elliott reflected on his recent starts at the intermediate track in Nevada and added:

"And then I thought we had a really good run there going last fall. I thought we made some nice gains last year as a whole there. Had a really, really nice run going. I was excited about just having a solid day there in the fall and crashed. And I thought this spring was solid. More in the ballpark, not as good as we were in the fall, but certainly more competitive than some of the races."

After a thrilling Kansas win in the last playoff round, Chase Elliott is running with strong momentum as he racked up another top 10 finish at Charlotte ROVAL.

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After a strong Charlotte ROVAL run, Chase Elliott "excited" to get to Vegas

Chase Elliott - NASCAR: Bank of America ROVAL 400 - Source: Imagn

Chase Elliott secured his 21st NASCAR Cup Series career win at Kansas Speedway. This triumph confirmed his berth for the next round, starting with Las Vegas, followed by Talladega and Martinsville.

As he now prepares for the first Round of 8 race, Elliott reflected on the road course race where he gathered 40 points, running top 10 in both stages, and ultimately finished at P8.

In a post-race conversation with NBC Sports, Elliott said:

"I thought our pace was actually respectable. To restart, in the mid-20s there behind 20th place on a couple of occasions and get back inside the top 10, I feel like we were decent. Just needed to have something kind of go our way, with the way we were running it, but overall I thought it was a solid day for us and certainly gave it our best effort. Excited to get to Vegas."

Currently, Chase Elliott is 14 points below the cutline for the Championship 4 race. On the other hand, his two HMS teammates, William Byron and Kyle Larson, are 4 points above.

NASCAR Cup Series will return for the South Point 400 race at Las Vegas Motor Speedway on Sunday, October 12, at 5:30 p.m. ET.