By: Zach Arnold

As the NASCAR Cup Series playoffs approach quickly, the pair are forced to shove all their chips in heading into these two final regular season races.

Chase Elliott made it two weeks into the 2023 season before having to sit out consecutive races due to an injury. After the Pala Casino 400 at Auto Club Raceway in February, Elliott went on a snowboarding trip where he fractured his tibia in a snowboarding accident. He underwent surgery on the leg and was out for six weeks, Josh Berry stepped in the seat of the No. 9 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet Camaro. Elliott ultimately sat out six weeks, before returning at Martinsville Speedway.

The second Hendrick Motorsports driver who suffered an injury in 2023 was Alex Bowman. Like Elliott’s injury, this happened outside of NASCAR action as well. In April, the driver of the No. 48 Ally Racing Chevrolet was involved in a scary sprint car crash at 34 Raceway in Iowa. Bowman fractured his vertebra after flipping in his sprint car. The poor fact about this injury was that it happened on his birthday.

Before this injury, things were going well for the No. 48 team was. He was ninth in the championship point standings, and had the best average finish and most top-ten finishes out of any driver at that point in the season. 

Bowman ended up missing three points-paying races, and the 2023 All-Star race at North Wilkesboro, returning to Cup Series action at Charlotte Motor Speedway for the Coca-Cola 600.

Both Elliott and Bowman currently find themselves in a must-win scenario to make the playoffs and only have two chances left. The No. 9 and 48 teams are 80 points under the cutline for the playoffs, way too far to make it in on points.

On the bright side, Watkins Glen International is the next race track on the regular season schedule. Elliott is a talented road racer, who earned his first career win at this track and was one spot away from winning last week’s race on Indianapolis Motor Speedway’s road course. Keep in mind, Elliott has gotten seven out of his 18 career NASCAR Cup Series wins on a road course.

Bowman has not won a race on a road course in his career, but has shown that he can run up front at these types of tracks. He has two top-five finishes out of four road course starts in 2023. One of those top five results came just a few days ago at Indianapolis. Additionally, the Arizonian is doing all he can to prepare for next week’s race by running in the NASCAR Xfinity Series race in a No. 17 Hendrick Motorsports entry. The last time Bowman entered a NXS race was over a year ago at the Indianapolis Road Course in July 2022.

After Watkins Glen, NASCAR heads down to Daytona International Speedway for the final regular season race in 2023. This multi-groove, high speeds track allows almost anyone a chance to win. Neither Elliott nor Bowman have ever won at the famed track, so this would be a great time to check that box off.

Catch the upcoming NASCAR Cup Series race at Watkins Glen International on USA Network this Sunday, August 20th at 3pm EST.