Why NASCAR Should Cross Its Fingers

tNot that NASCAR would be rooting for a certain driver or a certain outcome - nooooooo, that would never happen in a million years! - but stock-car racing would benefit richly, or at least more, if the dashing driver named William Clyde Elliott II won the big Cup race this weekend in Kansas.

tElliott, the 23-year-old heartthrob known as "Chase," enters the race in 10th place in the Cup standings, some 22 points behind the driver in eighth place, Joey Logano. Only eight drivers advance to the next three-race round of the endless NASCAR "playoffs."

tElliott, whose dad is the champion Awesome Bill from Dawsonville Elliott, won NASCAR's Most Popular Award in 2018, the first year after the retirement of Dale Earnhardt Jr., and is virtually certain to keep winning the award as long as he sits in a race car.

tBut that is not all. Elliott also drives for Hendrick Motorsports, the traditional powerhouse for which the former champs Jeff Gordon and Jimmie Johnson have driven. All three Hendrick drivers in the playoffs (and Johnson is not one) now sit outside the top eight in the standings.

tFurthermore, Elliott drives a Chevrolet, and only one Chevy driver has earned a berth in the next round: Kyle Larson, whose car is owned by Chip Ganassi. Larson won an Oct. 6 race at Dover, Del., to clinch a spot in the Round of Eight, which opens Oct. 27 at Martinsville, Va.

tNot to go too far into the weeds, but if someone in the 12-driver field other than Larson or Ryan Blaney (who won at Talladega) wins at Kansas, he earns a spot in the next round. In danger of not advancing a year ago, Elliott won at Kansas to squeeze into the last eight.

tElliott did not qualify a year ago for the four-driver championship race (within a bigger race, and don't get me started on that) - no Chevy driver did. At least Larson will represent Chevy in the next round, but Elliott has a famous racing name and is vastly more popular. Chevy needs this, too.

tElliott comes across publicly as soft-spoken and humble, a much quieter version of his gregarious father, but he also is a showman. His last victory came in the third playoff race, on the road course-roval in Charlotte, after he ran off the course and hit a barrier.

tBut the comeback was not even the best part. After a victory lap, Elliott nudged into the same barrier and did a long and bodacious burnout, smoke covering the car. He then climbed out while it was still drifting backwards (slowly), stood on the window's edge, then hopped off and watched it hit another barrier.

tBurnouts have become a tired NASCAR tradition, but this was highly unusual and really creative, two characteristics in short supply in today's NASCAR. It is hard to believe that Elliott is only in his fourth full NASCAR season; he is going to get better at driving and celebrating.

tOther than Blaney's unexpected and razor-thin victory at Talladega, which twisted the playoff dynamics, there has not been much "postseason" drama. Three teammates in Toyotas - Denny Hamlin, Kyle Busch and Martin Truex Jr. - still appear to be the ones to beat.

tThere have been fishy outcomes in NASCAR, none fishier than Dale Earnhardt Jr. winning the first race at Daytona after his father's death there in 2001. A victory by Elliott at Kansas would make people go hmmm. But TV ratings and ticket sales would get boosts.

tOf course, the three other drivers on the wrong side of the cutoff line and the two drivers hanging onto the last two berths will be driving hard, too, trying to knock out the fan favorite who has also won six of his last 46 Cup races.