Chase Elliott’s Next-Gen car struggles are a real head-scratcher. The Hendrick Motorsports driver holds the record for the most road course victories amongst any of the active drivers with seven, but he hasn’t won a single race in the format since the Generation 6 car was replaced. How could a driver, who is only behind Tony Stewart and Jeff Gordon for the most wins on road courses, suddenly struggle on tracks that he has traditionally excelled in?

With the Cup Series playoffs heading to Watkins Glen International, Elliott has the opportunity to finally make amends. Could he finally overcome his struggles and enter Victory Lane on a track where he won his first road-course race?

Did Elliott’s road course dominance end with the Generation 6 car?

Just like Shane Van Gisbergen, Chase Elliott also began his NASCAR career by excelling at road courses. The Georgia native secured the first Cup Series victory of his career at Watkins Glen International in 2018 and went on to defend his crown the following year at the 2019 Go Bowling at The Glen. Such was his dominance that Bill Elliott’s son led 80 out of the 90 scheduled laps, cementing his reputation as the king of the format. If that wasn’t all, he also entered Victory Lane at the Daytona road course, Charlotte Roval, Circuit of The Americas, and Road America in the following years.

However, the Next-Gen car changed everything. According to data shared by Eric Estepp on his YouTube video, Elliott went from securing four consecutive road course victories to getting no wins after 2022 on the tracks that he previously dominated. But that doesn’t tell the full story, does it? According to the NASCAR video producer, the Hendrick Motorsports driver has the second-best average starting position and the best average running position on road courses in the last three years (excluding Chicago). That’s not all; He has led the majority of laps in the Next-Gen car, giving an entirely different perspective about his so-called ‘struggles’ on road courses after the new car was introduced.

Yes, he hasn’t won the races in a while, something he appeared to do almost effortlessly in the past. That doesn’t take away from the fact that he remains a force to be reckoned with on road courses, capable of taking on the likes of Tyler Reddick or Shane van Gisbergen on a good day. What does this mean when we’re talking about his chances at the upcoming race at Watkins Glen International?

He enters the second race of the Round of 16 playoffs, eighth in the driver standings, 24 points above the cut-line for the Round of 12. It’s not beyond the realm of possibility that Chase Elliott could claim his second win of the season at ‘The Glen.’ However, momentum isn’t on his side as things stand, and the 28-year-old hasn’t finished in the top five in the last ten races.

Chase Elliott urges NASCAR to learn from college football

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Even though the two sports are very different, Hendrick Motorsports star Chase Elliott believes that NASCAR can take valuable lessons from the way college football structures its calendar. The Georgia native believes that they have learned how to create anticipation amongst the fanbase, which needs to be implemented in the three national series to improve the overall experience of the sport. Elliott also believes that adapting college football’s scheduling approach could also help NASCAR operate more efficiently in the future.

Speaking on The Teardown podcast, Elliott said “I think the first thing is the length of the season. They get a lot in, and when I say length of the season, I’m not necessarily talking about the number of races. But just the amount of calendar year that you burn in doing it. Their season is fairly short right and when it rolls back around, it’s exciting. It’s been waiting all year for this, and I think that’s cool, and our sport could use a little more of man I missed that. I really wish there was a race on this weekend. That sucks that it is not, but when it does come back. I’m going to be really fired up to watch it. I think that’s healthy.”

Chase Elliott’s recommendations seem to have some merit. Taking an off weekend now and again could benefit NASCAR with increased attendance and viewership, as fans would not take Cup Series action for granted every weekend. However, even if NASCAR does consider Chase Elliott’s suggestions, the Hendrick Motorsports driver will have to wait until it’s implemented. The schedule for the 2025 season is already set in stone, which means any changes will need to take place after the next season. Do you think the sanctioning body will take Elliott’s opinion seriously? Let us know in the comments!