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The Martinsville race was a defining moment for Chase Elliott and the No. 9 Hendrick Motorsports team's future in the NASCAR Cup Series championship. Elliot's Championship campaign came to an end after securing a third-place finish. In a post-race interview, the HMS driver reflected on his performance on the track.Heading into Martinsville, Chase Elliott was sitting eighth in the playoff standings and 62 points below the cutoff line. Elliott’s only chance to advance was to win. During the race, Elliott had good speed but struggled to keep pace with the leaders in the closing stages. The HMS driver was caught a lap down during the pit cycle and had to fight back through the field. Chase Elliott was straightforward in his assessment while speaking to NBC Sports after finishing third."Just be positioned better. Obviously, those final laps get tough when the guys out front have a big advantage when the track cleans off like that. It was just going to be difficult. I was just hoping, in my position, to get to a spot where I could maybe capitalize if something crazy happened.""Outside of that, we just got a little too far behind at the three-quarter mark. We got caught a lap down in the cycle, and then from there, we were just kind of playing catch-up. We just weren’t quite good enough, truthfully."Elliott’s playoff run ended at Martinsville. However, his Hendrick Motorsports teammates, William Byron and Kyle Larson advanced to the Championship 4.Chase Elliott Supports NASCAR’s Plan to Boost Horsepower in 2026Chase Elliott voiced support for the NASCAR's decision to increase horsepower starting in 2026. The Hendrick Motorsports driver called the move a “good effort,” saying it’s important to give the change a fair trial before judging its impact.On October 8, NASCAR confirmed that the Cup Series will see a horsepower bump to 750 on road courses and select tracks under 1.5 miles. This is a step up from the current 670 baseline. The change is to enhance competition and driver control on shorter circuits. Chase Elliott told Frontstretch that he views the increase as a positive step.“I think it’s a good effort for sure,” he said. “Until we give that a go, who knows? I think it’s easy to sit here and say it’s not enough or it’s not that, but it’s something, right? It’s something and they’re trying. So I applaud them for trying to keep the engine shops in mind.”One of the tracks included in NASCAR’s updated horsepower plan is Bowman Gray. This was the site of Elliott’s first win of the season.
