A Stifling Silence Covers NASCAR’s Golden Boy’s Radio as Deals With Another Streak of Bad Luck

Chase Elliott’s season went from bad to worse at Watkins Glen over a fault that was not even his on Sunday. Ahead of the race, the former NASCAR Cup Series driver needed to win one out of the remaining two regular-season races to qualify for the playoffs. Not only did he not win the race, he did not even finish in the top 30 after his crew made a huge blunder of something that should be pretty basic at this level of motorsports.

Elliott’s car ran out of fuel in the middle of the race, which forced him to pull up on the side of the track, be pushed to the pits, refuel, and come out after losing a lap more and more to the leader. The 27-year-old was distraught and there was no communication between him and his crew o the radio in the closing stages of the event.

Gotta Race the Best We Can, Says Chase Elliott’s Crew After Fuel Blunder

Watkins Glen was a venue Chase had performed well in the past, and it was seen as his best opportunity to poke his nose into the last 16. With that not happening, the #9 Hendrick Motorsports driver will have to bet it all at Daytona, where his record is not exactly flattering. The conversation with his crew went as well as one would imagine as his engine stopped in the middle of a lap, following which a disheartened Elliott finished the race in 32nd place without saying a word on the radio.

A recent video released by NASCAR gave fans an insight into what it was like on Elliott’s radio, and safe to say, it was not pleasant.

“Alright, good to go?”

“You good, John?”

“Alright, go ahead.”

This was the conversation that unfolded between the man in charge of refueling, John Gianninoto, and crew chief Alan Gustafson, as Chase was being refueled.

Gustafson would then brief Chase over the points’ situation and he was in front and behind him on track a while after he came out of the pits.

“What’s our owner’s points situation?” Elliott asked.

“We’re like 50 in front of that #23. He’s second right now. We just gotta race the best we can, don’t worry about anything. Focus on getting our lap back and then we’ll try to advance as fast as possible. Hopefully we’ll get a caution when everybody bunches back up here. #21, #77, that’s who you’re racing. #14 behind you,” his crew chief responded.

Elliott then had to navigate through a collision later on in the race, which Gustafson helped him through.

“Wrecking ahead, wrecking ahead. Stay mid, stay mid, stay mid. Right through the mid. Okay, check the right here.”

There was complete radio silence after that until the end of the race, which proves exactly how disappointed the #9 driver was with his crew on a day that was as crucial as it was to his playoff qualification chances.

Read More: Rick Hendrick’s Biggest Asset Rubs It in Chase Elliott’s Face by Ending 24 Race Embarrassment

Elliott’s Crew Chief Refuses to Share ‘Internal Struggles’

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Elliott’s crew chief Alan Gustafson was asked by the media about what happened with the former Cup Series driver’s fuel situation after the race, but he was not willing to indulge his team’s internal matters to the public.

“I’m not going to go over our internal struggles in the media, and I’m certainly not going to educate everybody else on the problem,” he said.

“That’s what winning is. You’re going to make sure you exploit everything to the highest percentile possible….So the time you’re trying to push, you’re cutting margins. That gets riskier and riskier,” Gustafson added afterward.

Chase Elliott has achieved a lot in NASCAR in his career, including being a former Cup Series champion. Despite this season, he still is one of the most talented drivers on the grid and there’s no doubt that he will be back to his best in 2024. This year, however, will be one the 27-year-old will want to forget unless he can find a way to shock everyone and win at Daytona.

WATCH THIS STORY: Chase Elliott apologizes to Rick Hendrick and team for losing, after being confused by HMS’ decision