Playoffs quickly approaching as Bowman, Elliott seek their spots

LONG POND, Pa. — With six regular-season races remaining, Alex Bowman and Chase Elliott are running out of chances to win their respective ways into the NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs.

Bowman sits 20th in the points standings, 42 points beneath the elimination line, while Hendrick Motorsports teammate Elliott is 23rd, 60 points outside the 16-driver playoff grid entering Sunday‘s HighPoint.com 400 at Pocono Raceway (2:30 p.m. ET, USA Network, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio, NBC Sports App).

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Hendrick has historically been exceptional at the “Tricky Triangle,” claiming 19 wins around the 2.5-mile Pennsylvanian oddity, fourth-most in team history. The 19th, of course, was an oddity of its own — Elliott was deemed the winner after first-place finisher Denny Hamlin and second-place Kyle Busch were disqualified following post-race technical inspection.

But past success doesn‘t mean much to Elliott right now. The 2020 Cup champion took the checkered flag third a season ago and then spun during his qualifying attempt Saturday, relegating him to a 35th-place starting position.

“We were credited with the win (in 2022), but I don‘t feel like we had a stellar run,” Elliott said Friday. “We were decent, but certainly not like we came up here and dominated the race like you want to have happen. So, a little bit of a different vibe and I am not sure that I … certainly not in (my) NASCAR time, I never remember being gifted a win like that.”

That‘s not to say he wouldn‘t take another one like it. Both past Pocono winners, Elliott and Bowman (2021, Pocono-1) know a trip to Victory Lane would secure a spot in the postseason push for a championship.

This is unfamiliar territory for either driver during their tenures at Hendrick Motorsports. Elliott has never missed the playoffs since joining the team in 2016, nor has Bowman since 2018.

Elliott has also scored multiple victories per season since 2018, including five in 2022, yet remains winless through 13 starts in 2023, with seven missed races putting him in this predicament.

“It‘s certainly different from last year, but I think it has been in some ways enjoyable to find new challenges and kind of push yourself in different areas,” Elliott said. “It doesn‘t really feel a ton different, I guess, than like a playoff run, like in the final 10. … Like last year, when we had a good year, we had a lot of playoff points going into the postseason, and I am glad we did because that got us to Phoenix (as part of the Championship 4).

“But in years that we didn‘t, it was about that you had to show up every week and really get it in those last 10 if you wanted to advance, and that is really kind of how it feels now. I have always enjoyed those final 10 weeks just because of that.

“You show up to the race track every week, and there was something on the line. There always is, don‘t take me wrong. To me, it‘s a little more fun knowing that it‘s kind of make or break. You either get in or you don‘t. It‘s up to us to go and try to achieve that.”

Bowman will take the green flag from the 20th position Sunday afternoon, a “frustrating” qualifying performance for the No. 48 Chevrolet after entering the day with bigger expectations — emphasized by teammate William Byron’s pole-winning run. Hanging on to a top-20 spot in points, the season’s one-time points leader is growing impatient with his playoff circumstances.

“We (had) a 60-point penalty, and I missed four races. I really shouldn’t even be in the conversation,” Bowman said. “So, just need to go and execute. That’s really the biggest thing is just to go run how we’re supposed to. And we’ve had good runs. Obviously, Atlanta, we were really good. Chicago, we were going to be good. (It) just seems like every week, something happens. So hopefully, we can overcome that this weekend.”

Byron’s pole position, which will allow him to lead the field to green for Sunday’s 160-lap contest, highlights the tale of two goals existing inside Hendrick Motorsports. Byron, with a series-high four wins, sits 17 points behind Martin Truex Jr. in the battle for the regular-season championship. Kyle Larson, the 2021 champion and driver of the team’s No. 5 Chevrolet, sits eighth in the points standings with two victories.

“Obviously, they are trying to get the best finishes possible each week, and a win would be nice,” Larson said. “I hadn’t really looked at it too much, to be honest with you or thought about it a whole lot here until lately, but they both have some really good tracks coming up for them. You know, Chase’s spin (Saturday) doesn’t help things, but I feel like Pocono’s a great track for him. And a lot of times when you start — really anywhere here — you can find your way to the front easily with strategy, so that’s something that I feel like (No. 9 crew chief) Alan (Gustafson) excels at and their team and I wouldn’t count them out for (Sunday).

“Same with Alex. (No. 48 crew chief) Blake’s (Harris) got a lot of experience winning here with Truex. But yeah, I mean, obviously it’s getting close to the end of the regular season, and it looks like they may have to win.”