HMS legend Jeff Gordan gives his honest opinion on Chase Elliott and Alex Bowman’s playoff chances

Alex Bowman and Chase Elliott combined missed 10 races this season.

HMS legend Jeff Gordan gives his honest opinion on Chase Elliott and Alex Bowman’s playoff chances

Alex Bowman (Credit: featureweekly.com) Jeff Gordan (Credits: The New York Times) and Chase Elliott (Credits: IMAGO)

Hendrick Motorsports Vice Chairman Jeff Gordan has spoken out on the playoff eligibility uncertainty his driver, Alex Bowman and Chase Elliott, has found themselves in. The four times Cup champion with HMS pointed out that the Chevy giants want the drivers to secure the win and playoff spot even though they can lock a last-16 spot theoretically in points.

Alex Bowman and Chase Elliott missed several races this season due to injury. Elliott was the first one to get injured. Following a snowboarding incident, he missed six races and was hit with a one-race suspension for wrecking Denny Hamlin. Bowman, on the other hand, missed out on three Cup races after suffering a vertebra fracture.

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While discussing the uncertainty over playoffs, HMS legend Jeff Gordan said that the team wasn’t to secure wins since it would help them more in going deep to the playoff. He added that his drivers are keen to score the win as they are in this particular situation, not because of poor racing but poor luck.

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“I mean, I think Alex is closer than Chase is. I don’t know where that — I haven’t looked at the points after today. I know that we want to get wins. It’s sort of one of those situations where if you don’t feel like you’re capable of winning, how far are you really going to go in the playoffs? I know those guys want to win, but they also had some situations that got them behind,” Jeff Gordan said in Atlanta.

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Jeff Gordan admits the duo needs positive momentum

Jeff Gordon
Jeff Gordon(Credits: sportscasting)

When the duo was out injured, their teammates were thriving. William Byron leads the team with four wins, with 2021 champion Kyle Larson closely behind with three wins. While securing a playoff with points is possible for them, there is no guarantee, and they have just seven races left in the regular season to score the win.

To achieve their playoff objective, Gordan claims that the drivers must step up their dame and gain positive momentum. It has been a big factor behind the success of Byron and Larson so far this season. He added that the duo needs to get the momentum or find a way to the victory lane before race 26.

“You get in any way you can, but it goes back to what I was talking about with the 24 team, about building momentum at the right time, and if you get it early, how do you maintain it. For those guys, if they can get some momentum going here quickly or find a way to get to Victory Lane, then it’s all about picking up their game when the playoffs come around,” said Gordan.

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