Tag: Chase Elliott

Chase Elliott nearing big NASCAR record during 2024 Cup Series season

Chase Elliott is nearing a big NASCAR record during the 2024 Cup Series season. Check out the record that Elliott is close to tying!

[autotag]Chase Elliott[/autotag] ended his 42-race winless streak at Texas Motor Speedway on Sunday afternoon. It was a massive victory for Elliott, who missed the playoffs without a victory in 2023. The driver of the No. 9 car’s last win came at Talladega Superspeedway in 2022. However, Elliott’s win represents far more than a return to victory lane.

According to NBC Sports, Elliott’s win at Texas moved him closer to tying the NASCAR record for most consecutive victories at different tracks in the modern era. Elliott’s streak is now up to 13 races, which is one short of tying the record of 14 races set by Denny Hamlin and Kyle Larson. Elliott’s streak dates back to Charlotte Motor Speedway in 2020.

Dating back to the start of NASCAR, the record for most consecutive victories at different tracks is held by Richard Petty at 21 races. Elliott’s next opportunity to tie the modern-day NASCAR record will be at Kansas Speedway on May 5. The 2020 NASCAR Cup Series champion’s first opportunity to break the record will be at Darlington Raceway on May 12.

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Denny Hamlin discusses wreck while battling Chase Elliott for win at Texas

Denny Hamlin discusses his wreck while battling Chase Elliott for the win at Texas. Find out what Hamlin had to say about his wreck!

[autotag]Denny Hamlin[/autotag] passed [autotag]Chase Elliott[/autotag] in the closing laps of the NASCAR Cup Series race at Texas Motor Speedway, but a caution stacked the field back up. Hamlin was the control car but lost the lead after a quick caution. Then, the No. 11 car battled Elliott down the backstretch after the restart before getting loose and crashing in Turn 3.

Hamlin came home with a disappointing 30th-place finish and discussed the incident after the event. Obviously, it wasn’t Elliott’s fault, and Hamlin took the blame on Sunday.

“It just got loose up in Turn 3,” Hamlin said. “It’s something I’ve been fighting really kind of all day. And then, when you got to push it the most on a green-white-checkered, I knew that the likely scenario is I wasn’t going to make it out of the corner with as much speed as I was carrying. But it’s trying to go for the win, so I just got loose and spun out.”

“We just couldn’t get it going [on the top lane]. We had to be on the bottom, and we were in a good spot to win. We just had so many untimely cautions when we were out front and then that one where we lost control [of the race], that certainly was not helpful.”

Hamlin was searching for his third NASCAR win of the 2024 season, but it will have to wait another week. The driver of the No. 11 car had the victory before a late-race caution stole it away. It’s disappointing for Hamlin, but Elliott benefited the most. Now, Hamlin will look toward Talladega Superspeedway as his next opportunity for a victory.

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Chase Elliott talks about breaking NASCAR winless streak at Texas in 2024

Chase Elliott talks about breaking his NASCAR winless streak at Texas in 2024. Find out what Elliott said about his first win since 2022!

[autotag]Chase Elliott'[/autotag]s winless streak has finally come to an end. Elliott’s drought of 42 winless races vanished at Texas Motor Speedway after claiming the trophy in the AutoTrader EchoPark Automotive 400. The driver of the No. 9 car was forced to hold off the competition on several restarts, and hit the checkered flag as Ross Chastain wrecked behind him.

Following the event, Elliott was asked about the self doubt that creeps in when not winning races. The Hendrick Motorsports driver opened up about the process through his winless streak and why breaking it now was really special.

“Yeah, it’s obviously very tough. I think the longer it goes, the more ways you find to either not run good or lose races, it can make it tougher,” Elliott said. “To me, honestly, this journey and everything about today is really a credit to the guys that sit in our meetings on Monday mornings in the No. 9 room. That starts with [crew chief Alan Gustafson]. As I mentioned a second ago, it’s really easy when things go bad to jump ship, go do something different, for those guys to go elsewhere. It just is. It happens a lot.”

“It’s been an extremely important thing to me, and fortunately to our entire group, to try to climb this mountain again together and try to get back to where we need to be as a group. We’re not all together, but a lot of us are still there that have been on our team for most of my nine years. That’s pretty special.”

It has been a tough year and a half for Elliott but he can finally breathe. The 2020 NASCAR Cup Series champion has locked himself into the playoffs and can now focus on earning more points. Elliott will be contedning for more wins in 2024, but the victory in Texas carries far more meaning than most, if not all races this year.

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NASCAR fans react to Chase Elliott ending his 42-race winless streak at Texas

Chase Elliott snapped a 42-race winless streak with a perfect drive on Sunday.

For the first time since September of 2022, former NASCAR Cup Series champ Chase Elliott is back in victory lane.

Elliott outlasted Ross Chastain, William Byron and Brad Keselowski in a wild finish at Texas Motor Speedway that saw multiple overtime periods and an unbelievable amount of chaos.

Elliott was running out of fuel and only had enough for one more restart, but he managed to take the white flag in the lead before Chastain and Byron wrecked down the backstretch, securing Elliott’s win.

The victory snapped a 42-race winless streak for Elliott, who has been open about his struggles in adapting to the next-gen car. After back-to-back solid finishes at Bristol and Martinsville, Elliott put himself into the playoffs on Sunday and re-established himself as a leading championship contender.

Here’s what fans were saying:

Chase Elliott talks about his near NASCAR victory at Martinsville in 2024

Chase Elliott talks about his near NASCAR Cup Series victory at Martinsville Speedway in 2024. Find out what Elliott had to say!

[autotag]Chase Elliott[/autotag] entered overtime in second place during the NASCAR Cup Series race at Martinsville Speedway and had a chance at the victory. Elliott got a good jump on outside but couldn’t make it stick. Then, the Hendrick Motorsports driver nudged his teammate William Byron in Turn 3 with no luck. Elliott didn’t win the race and came home with a third-place finish.

Following the event, Elliott talked about his third-place finish and what this means to Hendrick Motorsports as the company celebrated its 40th anniversary on Sunday afternoon. It was disappointing to come up short, but he was still happy for the race team.

“Second or third, what does it matter?,” Elliott said, “Yeah, obviously number one, congrats to [William Byron] and everybody at Hendrick Motorsports. Rick and Linda, all the folks, all the people that put this together for us. They have an unbelievable program. I think we’re all proud to call it home.It was awesome hosting over a thousand folks from Hendrick today, employees and their families.”

“Glad one of us could get it done. Obviously wish we could have got it done, selfishly like anybody would. Nice to have a couple solid weeks, to be in contention there for a win. Haven’t been in contention to win one in a while. It was fun to kind of get to that last restart and it actually mattered. Enjoyed that aspect. Certainly hungry for more.”

Elliott hasn’t won a Cup Series event since October 2022 at Talladega Superspeedway. The driver of the No. 9 car hasn’t been as quick since returning from his injury in the middle of the 2023 season; however, he is trending in the right direction. Elliott may have come up short at Martinsville, but he is close to breaking his winless streak.

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A storybook finish to Hendrick’s anniversary celebrations at Martinsville

Kyle Larson couldn’t believe what he saw in front of him during overtime on Sunday at Martinsville Speedway. “I was surprised, honestly, how physical it looked up in front of me,” Larson said. “I was very shocked and selfishly was hoping they were …

Kyle Larson couldn’t believe what he saw in front of him during overtime on Sunday at Martinsville Speedway.

“I was surprised, honestly, how physical it looked up in front of me,” Larson said. “I was very shocked and selfishly was hoping they were going to wash up the track some more and let me get into the battle a little bit.

“But I think we all understood what this day meant for the company and we were going to race hard but fairly, and that’s what we saw.”

The drivers Larson was referring to were two of his Hendrick Motorsports teammates. Hendrick Motorsports was celebrating its 40th anniversary and, in storybook fashion, was in a position to have one of its drivers cap it off in victory lane.

William Byron and Chase Elliott made up the front row for the final restart in the Cook Out 400 with Larson behind them in third. Byron finally shook off Elliott’s challenge coming to the white flag and drove to victory. Larson also managed to put the driver of the No. 9 behind him.

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“I thought for sure I may have a shot,” Larson said. “I didn’t know how aggressive those two were going to be in front of me and they were really aggressive. I thought if it got crazy, I could have an opening to squeeze by, but I was (only) able to get one spot.

“So, I’m happy to finish second (and) happy to have a 1-2-3 for Hendrick.”

Considering how they dominated the race and the storylines, it was fitting that the day ended with a Hendrick Motorsports podium sweep. Byron led a race-high 88 laps on his way to winning, while Larson won the pole, led 86 laps, and won the first stage.

Larson led every lap in the first stage but lost control of the race when Joey Logano took two tires and beat everyone off pit road. On older tires, Logano led 84 laps and Larson, once in traffic, never got back to the lead the rest of the afternoon.

“I had a bad restart there,” Larson said. “I was really tight for a handful of laps and fell back to fourth. I wasn’t surprised that Joey hung on because we’ve seen it work in the past, and Joey is probably the best at doing that – fighting to stay up there on older tires. So, I was surprised, but I was hoping that we were going to have a better restart and then a better pit stop that next time.

“But just being around this corner (on pit road), I think it’s hard for the pit crew to see when I’m coming, and they were a little bit late coming (off the wall). So, we were just a little bit slow then and didn’t gain a position there that next time. So, yeah, I just kind of hung out there the rest of the race.

“It’s tough. It’s really tough to pass. But William did a good job. There was guys who could pass … but for the rest of us, it was really difficult.”

Elliott led 64 laps and Alex Bowman also ran in the top 10 and finished eighth.

“It was a solid day for us, for sure,” Elliott said. “It was nice to lead laps; certainly fell off a little more than I wanted to there at the end of those runs. I just struggled with traffic a little more than I should have. But I thought our car was close. The pit stops were really good. Most of the restarts went well.

“That last one, I had hurt the rear tires so bad on that run before I was really worried about getting going and having enough grip to make it work. But nonetheless, I’m happy for William, happy for everybody at Hendrick Motorsports.

“It’s really special to have all of our folks here or a lot of them and their families. I hate Rick and Linda couldn’t be here today, but certainly happy and proud to be a part of the organization and ultimately their family.”

Byron and Elliott were side-by-side through Turns 1 and 2 on the restart. Byron cleared Elliott off the corner, but Elliott admittedly tried to “root” Byron off the bottom in Turn 3 but couldn’t get the power down to complete the move. On the final lap, Elliott drove hard into Turn 1 and tried to diamond the corner but couldn’t make that stick either.

“I felt pretty good that one of us was going to win the race unless we crashed each other,” Elliott said. “Which I wasn’t going to crash him. I wasn’t worried about me crashing him, I don’t know about the rest of them. But I wasn’t worried about that.

“I gave him a shot, tried to win the race and it didn’t work out. But one of us won it and the ifs ands, buts, don’t really matter at this point. William was able to get it done, and we got a nice 1-2-3 for HMS.”

Sunday was the 29th victory for Hendrick Motorsports at Martinsville Speedway. The day started with Jeff Gordon and Geoff Bodine giving the command. Bodine, of course, won at Martinsville Speedway in April 1984, which kept Rick Hendrick from shuttering the team.

“It was a huge, huge day for Hendrick Motorsports and I’m just really, really happy for the Hendrick family, everybody who’s been involved in this company from the beginning,” Larson said. “There were 1,500 people here off Turn 2 from Hendrick Motorsports and their families today. So, I knew us four guys were going to have a shot at a good run but I didn’t know that we’d run 1-2-3, so that’s really special.

“I’m happy. I’m happy for William. He did a really good job executing that green flag cycle and carving his way through the guys in front of him to get the lead. So, he deserved to win, and he did a great job.”

Larson, Elliott lock out all-Hendrick front row at Richmond

Kyle Larson and Chase Elliott delivered a Hendrick Motorsports front row in qualifying at Richmond Raceway. Larson, the defending race winner, earned the pole with a lap of 120.332mph (22.438s). It’s his second pole at Richmond Raceway. “It …

Kyle Larson and Chase Elliott delivered a Hendrick Motorsports front row in qualifying at Richmond Raceway.

Larson, the defending race winner, earned the pole with a lap of 120.332mph (22.438s). It’s his second pole at Richmond Raceway.

“It definitely helps for sure,” Larson said of going into Sunday’s race. “The number one pit stall here means a lot, so yeah, happy. Happy to do that. Happy to be in Group A, for sure. And then the sun coming out a little bit there helps also. Chase got real close there, so I was a bit nervous but awesome day for Hendrick Motorsports, the HendrickCars.com Chevrolet [and] everybody involved. It’s good to get another pole. We’ll see if it translates to tomorrow’s race.”

It was Larson’s 17th Cup Series pole.

Elliott qualified second at 120.321mph. The 2020 series champion has never won at Richmond Raceway in 15 previous starts and his best finish is second in 2018.

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Ross Chastain qualified third (120.059mph), Alex Bowman, fourth (119.861mph) and Bubba Wallace, fifth (119.819mph). Bowman scrapped the frontstretch wall during his lap.

Todd Gilliland qualified sixth (119.760mph), Martin Truex Jr., seventh (119.585mph), Ty Gibbs, eighth (119.517mph), Austin Cindric, ninth (119.111mph) and Joey Logano, 10th (119.069mph).

Denny Hamlin qualified 11th, Ryan Blaney, 12th, William Byron, 13th, Chris Buescher, 14th and Kyle Busch, 15th. Tyler Reddick qualified 19th.

Further back in the field, Brad Keselowski only managed 23rd. Christopher Bell qualified 29th and Josh Berry, 30th. In this race a year ago, Berry finished second substituting for Elliott.

NEXT: Toyota Owners 400 at 7 p.m. ET Sunday on FOX.

RESULTS

NASCAR addresses Chase Elliott’s track limits penalty at COTA

NASCAR addresses Chase Elliott’s track limits penalty at Circuit of the Americas. What did NASCAR have to say about Elliott’s penalty?

[autotag]Chase Elliott[/autotag] was getting better throughout the race at Circuit of the Americas and could have earned his first top-5 finish of the 2024 NASCAR season. Unfortunately for Elliott, he got loose going through the esses and accidentally went outside the track limits. NASCAR gave the Hendrick Motorsports driver a penalty, and he eventually finished in 16th place.

On Tuesday, NASCAR Senior Vice President of Competition Elton Sawyer appeared on SiriusXM NASCAR Radio to discuss Elliott’s penalty. Fans of the No. 9 team and Hendrick Motorsports will not like what he said about the incident.

“[The No. 9 team] kept coming up that [Chase Elliott] wheel hopped, he had got loose, whatever that may be, that’s fair,” Sawyer said. “I do believe that, but on the flip side, you still have to make the call or every driver, every team is going to be calling up [to the tower] and say, ‘Look, he got loose, he wheel hopped.’”

Elliott made a mistake in the esses. It wasn’t a deliberate attempt to gain more speed or pass another competitor. However, it was still a penalty in NASCAR’s eyes. Whether it’s a penalty or not doesn’t change the outcome. Elliott still came home with a finish that wasn’t representative of his speed. Now, the driver of the No. 9 car will have to look forward to Richmond Raceway to gain momentum.

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Chase Elliott must clean up mistakes to maximize 2024 NASCAR season

Chase Elliott must clean up his mistakes to maximize the 2024 NASCAR Cup Series season after a down year with Hendrick Motorsports.

[autotag]Chase Elliott[/autotag] had a car capable of finishing in the top 5 spots at Circuit of the Americas, but it quickly went downhill. After getting loose in the esses, Elliott was black-flagged for track limits. The No. 9 team tried to argue that its driver didn’t make up any time or pass anyone; however, NASCAR didn’t want to overturn the call.

Elliott served a pass-through penalty and later spun out in Turn 8. One event after the other caused the 2020 NASCAR Cup Series champion to come home with a 16th-place finish. It was a disappointing end to what could have been a top-5 finish at COTA, but one thing is clear to start the year. Elliott must clean up his mistakes to maximize the 2024 season.

Sure, there is evident frustration that Elliott was penalized just because he got loose, but very few drivers had that issue in the esses during the event. Then, the No. 9 car spun out in Turn 8, which was also a trouble spot for drivers throughout the day. It was a mistake-filled day for Elliott, and it cost him a good finish.

Through six races, Elliott has only one top-10 finish, an eighth-place effort at Bristol Motor Speedway. The No. 9 car hasn’t shown as much speed as his teammates, as the statistics prove. Elliott is the only Hendrick Motorsports driver without a top-5 finish. In fact, Kyle Larson, William Byron, and Alex Bowman have more top-5 finishes than Elliott has top-10 finishes.

The 28-year-old driver has yet to find a rhythm in the NextGen car following his injury in 2023. This isn’t a “hit piece” on Elliott or a statement that he can’t eventually find a rhythm. It states that Elliott must clean up his mistakes to compete for a second Cup Series championship. The race at COTA was supposed to be a momentum-building event.

Instead, Elliott goes to Richmond Raceway looking to earn his first win since October 2022. Richmond hasn’t been one of his best tracks over the years, but he does have one top-5 finish at the venue in the NextGen car. Elliott must put COTA behind him and focus on Richmond. It’s time for Elliott to clean up his mistakes and find more speed. Everyone knows he is capable of making it happen, too.

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Chase Elliott opens up on call to Rick Hendrick after 2023 snowboarding accident

Chase Elliott opens up on his call to Rick Hendrick after his 2023 snowboarding accident. Find out what Elliott and Hendrick said!

[autotag]Chase Elliott[/autotag] fractured his left tibia in a snowboarding accident in early 2023, which caused him to miss six races. It was shocking, as Hendrick Motorsports was forced to replace Elliott with Josh Berry and Jordan Taylor. The 2021 NASCAR Cup Series champion has never gone into full detail about that day, but it changed this week.

Dale Earnhardt Jr. released a new episode of his podcast, The Dale Jr. Download, featuring Elliott as a special guest. During the episode, Elliott discussed the day of the snowboarding accident, including his phone call with Hendrick Motorsports owner Rick Hendrick. Shockingly, it went a lot better than he anticipated.

“I called [Rick Hendrick] and I was like, ‘Hey man, I’m sorry to tell you this, and I know you don’t want to hear this, but I am currently in the ER out here in Colorado and I think I messed my knee up really bad,’” Elliott said. “Believe it or not, I was shocked, but he took every bit of it just awesome.”

“He didn’t even care about the weekend. He just worried about what was the process, how bad was it, when was surgery gonna be if I needed surgery, if he could do anything to help, and how long were we looking. He’s like, ‘Keep me posted, let me know how bad it is. If I can do anything let me know, don’t worry about this weekend, we got it. Just get right, and when you’re ready to come back, we’ll go back racing.’ It was unbelievable. I was shocked.”

Elliott was waiting for Hendrick to be mad at him for the accident, but the opposite happened. Hendrick was understanding of his driver and wanted to do whatever he could to help. Hearing Elliott talk about the process was fascinating, but the phone call with Hendrick stood out. The conversation shows the right way to handle the situation, as Hendrick cared for Elliott at that moment.

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