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NASCAR: Five Lessons Learned From the Hollywood Casino 400 at Kansas

By Michael Guadalupe

Credit: Jeffrey Becker-USA TODAY Sports
Credit: Jeffrey Becker-USA TODAY Sports /
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Oct 9, 2016; Concord, NC, USA; Sprint Cup Series driver Kevin Harvick (4) and Sprint Cup Series driver Chase Elliott (24) during the Bank of America 500 at Charlotte Motor Speedway. Mandatory Credit: Peter Casey-USA TODAY Sports
Chase Elliot made it into the Round of 12, but now this rookie driver seems to be breaking under the pressure of the Chase. Mandatory Credit: Peter Casey-USA TODAY Sports /

The Pressure of the Chase is Too Much for Newcomers

Making it into the Chase as a rookie driver is a huge feat.

It’s an extremely impressive accomplishment and something Chase Elliot wasn’t taking lightly.

He ran well during the first round of the Chase, finishing in the Top 5 for two out of the three races and heading into the Round of 12 it looked like Elliot had a real shot at winning his first race of the Sprint Cup Series.

Unfortunately for Elliot the pressure of the Chase is turning out to be much more than this rookie driver can handle. He was part of a wreck at Charlotte that ended his day early last week, and this weekend at Kansas he struggled yet again hitting the wall several times and finishing in 31st.

Elliot dropped below the cutoff line after Charlotte, and with his poor performance at Kansas his only way of making it into the Round of 8 is either by winning at Talladega or hoping enough Chase drivers get knocked out of the race so he can move up in the standings.

The pressure of the Chase is starting to prove to be too much for this young driver, but he’s not the only one feeling the stress of the post-season.

Austin Dillon is also in his first Chase, but unlike Elliot, Dillon was lucky to make it out of the Round of 16. Thanks to some of the Chase drivers running into issues at Dover, Dillon’s championship hopes were kept alive but the driver of the three car has failed to make the most of it.

Dillon was also caught up in a wreck at Charlotte after Martin Truex Jr. got into the back of him during a restart and heading into Kansas Dillon had his back against the wall.

He was able to have more success at Kansas than Elliot did, finishing the race in sixth, but because of what happened at Charlotte Dillon is still below the Chase cutoff line.

The pressure of the Chase can prove to be overwhelming, and for these two first time Chase drivers it could play a huge part in ending their championship chances once the Round of 12 is over.

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