Chase Elliott ally shares candid thoughts on 2024 NASCAR championship hopes as all four Hendrick drivers edge toward elimination
Crew chief of Hendrick Motorsports' No. 9 team has responded to Chase Elliott's record of one win in his last 68 races.
The 28-year-old is currently 43 points below the playoff cut-line in the NASCAR Cup Series standings. He needs a win at the next race at Martinsville to qualify for the next round. Moreover, Elliott must win two races in a row to earn the NASCAR Cup Series championship this season.
In a talk with Fox Sports's Bob Pockrass, Elliott's crew chief, Alan Gustafson said:
"I think that you look at those statistics... I would have rather won more races. Chase Elliot would rather have won more races... Kyle Larson won the most. I'm guessing if he would rather have won more races too, right? So, like, it never stops... I don't sit back and say, we're kind of screwed. We haven't won once in the last 68 races, you know?"
Gustafson believes his team can do well and that unusual statistics like these might lead to better results.
"So, I actually believe a little, I feel the opposite in my career. I think that as the statistics add up to be kind of so far out of balance, the opposite trend is gonna happen," he added on Chase Elliott's situation.
Elliott's teammate William Byron is seven points above the cut-line and Kyle Larson is seven points below. Alex Bowman, who is out of the playoffs, was disqualified at Charlotte for failing post-race weight checks.
Joey Logano and Tyler Reddick are the only two who have earned their spots in the Championship 4 ahead of the final elimination race at Martinsville.
"I try hard not to overthink the situation" - Chase Elliott on his 2024 season
Chase Elliott had a fifth-place finish at Homestead-Miami Speedway and earned 49 points. Before the race last weekend, Eliott talked about his team's season and pointed out that he tries not to overthink things. He added that they have been in this situation before.
"Yeah, I mean, I feel like overall our year has been really solid except for winning. You know, when I look at it, it's not that there's a lot to be proud of. We just haven't won as many races as we'd like to... I try hard not to overthink the situation or whatever. And, you know, to be candid, we've been in this spot before. So it's not like this is the first time I've been through this or had to experience this," Chase Elliott said (via Frontstretch).
Elliott last won the playoff race at Martinsville in 2020 and has four top-10 finishes in his last 5 races at the 0.526-mile oval track. He finished third at the spring race here this year.