After Last Year’s Fall-Off, Chase Elliott Feared His Allies Would ‘Bail Out’

Game, set, match. After what seemed like a crushing eternity of luckless races, Chase Elliott finally scrambled back to the top. Elliott’s win at Texas Motor Speedway yesterday was a reassurance that the 2020 Cup champion’s sparkle did not dim. And Elliott is thankful for everyone who stuck around with him till this glorious moment.

While a snowboarding accident did not allow him to compete in six races, his winning form also took a break. Elliott entered a long 42-race drought, and the Most Popular Driver feared losing allegiances as well in the process. However, the No. 9 team turned out to be deeply loyal to their driver.

Chase Elliott was in great company

Behind every successful driver is a hardworking, relentlessly dedicated team. The same happened with Chase Elliott’s No. 9 Hendrick Motorsports crew. Headed by Alan Gustafson, they stuck to Elliott through thick and thin as he improved over the past few short-track races. After a podium finish in Martinsville, Charles seemed poised for a win, as experts rightly predicted.

Yet the Autotrader 400 race was not easy to tackle, as multiple wrecks produced hiccups in Elliott’s progress. However, the last two cautions worked in his favor as they relegated Denny Hamlin and Ross Chastain out of contention. And his amazing Hendrick crew were there to guide him, as he acknowledged in a post-race exchange.

Chase Elliott explained how race difficulty can jitter commitments, but his team had none of that. “Obviously, these races are hard to win, and they seem like they get harder, at least for me. One, I’ve just really been proud of our group for sticking  together,” he mentioned, adding, “I’m sure a lot of you guys have been around the sport for long enough to understand and know that when you have a couple of bad years, or a period of time that things aren’t going well, it is so easy to jump ship and to start bailing out on one another.” 

Besides celebrating the win, Elliott saluted its tumultuous journey and the wonderful teamwork. “But I’m truthfully most proud of the journey, and the group of people that we have climbed back up together with. We’ve made each other better. They’ve pushed me to be a better driver and a better person. We’re all in a really good place and we have been. It’s nice to see all the hard work pay off, and those guys really deserve to win. They’ve been busting it for a while,” he noted.

Byron tipped his hat to Elliott’s Chevy team

Trending

Tony Stewart’s Wife Leah Pruett Pens a Heartfelt Message for Husband After His Unwavering Support for His Family

Christopher Bell Becomes the Laughing Stock With New Teammate Rubbing Salt on Old Wounds Out of the Blue

JRM Prodigy & Kelley Earnhardt’s Son Earn Major Backing as Dale Jr.’s Loyal Partners Announce 2025 Return

“It Drives Like a Forklift” – Shane van Gisbergen Controversially Splits the Difference Between NASCAR’s Proud Next Gen and Xfinity Cars

Sprint Car World Loses Toyota Driver Till Next Season as Grueling Injury Forces Pause on 18-Year-Old Sensation’s Career

Elliott’s Hendrick teammate, William Byron, also hailed the No. 9 team while owning up to his own team’s struggles. The current 2024 Star Cup driver and Martinsville winner fought it out in Texas. William Byron battled with Ross Chastain for the lead in the end, but Chase Elliott overcame them. However, the two clashed and triggered the last caution, giving Elliott the leeway to snag the checkered flag. 

After finishing in third place, Byron offered his respect to the No. 9 team while analyzing his own. “Happy for Chase (Elliott) and those guys,” he shared, continuing, ‘They did a great job; executed really well and had a good car. Our No. 24 Liberty University Chevy, we struggled all day and had to fight tooth and nail all day just to keep our track position. We just had a few restarts go our way at the end.”

Besides William Byron’s three wins and Kyle Larson’s one, Chase Elliott became the third Hendrick driver to snag a trophy this season.