Chase Elliott Breaks Into the Top 10 of an Unwanted NASCAR List After Las Vegas

The NASCAR 2024 Cup season is already done with its initial races, and die-hard Hendrick Motorsports fans have been desperately rooting for a Chase Elliott win. However, in all three races, all he could manage to do was finish in the top 15. And with that, it looks like the #9 driver has found himself on the list nobody wants to be on—the longest active winless streak in the NASCAR Cup Series.

Chase Elliott’s performance went on to join the likes of Brad Keselowski and Bubba Wallace

Chase Elliott’s winless run has sadly landed him among the longest active dry spells in NASCAR. It’s been 37 races since he last took the checkered flag, but if you count the races he sat out, that stretches to over 47 races. This is uncharted territory for Elliott, with the closest slump being from 2016 to 2018, when it took him until his third season to grab a win.

The last time NASCAR’s golden boy found victory lane was back in 2022 during the playoffs at Talladega. Right now, he’s ranked 10th in this unwelcome category, trailing behind Justin Haley, who’s on a 108-race winless streak, followed by Brad Keselowski with 101 races, Austin Cindric with 74, Chase Briscoe with 71, Alex Bowman at 64, Austin Dillon with 49, Eric Jones at 48, Bubba Wallace with 46, and Ricky Stenhouse Jr just ahead of Chase Elliott with a 38-race drought.

Right behind Chase Elliott, there are several drivers in a similar boat, including Team Penske’s leading man, Joey Logano. His last trip to victory lane was back in Atlanta during the 2023 season. Logano didn’t have the best run last year; after bagging that win in Atlanta, he found himself leading laps in just 9 of the 31 races of the last season, and only once during those did he lead for more than 25 laps.

But as for Chase Elliott, while #9’s supporters are starting to get jittery about his 2024 season, there might not be much reason for either him or his fans to hit the panic button over the sluggish start just yet.

Why shouldn’t No. 9 and his fans not be concerned about his slow 2024 season start?

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Chase Elliott kicked off the 2024 NASCAR season on a high note by winning Stage 1 of the Daytona 500, but he hasn’t quite hit the same heights since that race. Currently ranked seventh in the points, the Hendrick Motorsports driver hasn’t cracked the top 10 in the first three races, finishing P14 at Daytona, P15 in Atlanta, and P12 in Las Vegas. Despite Elliott not matching the blistering pace of race winner and teammate Kyle Larson in Vegas, it’s too early for alarm bells to ring.

Obviously, those finishes might not look flashy, but considering NASCAR kicked off with two superspeedway races, Daytona and Atlanta’s results aren’t the best yardstick for a driver’s season-long potential. Las Vegas marked the team’s first shot at an intermediate track after a challenging 2023.

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It’s premature to fret over Elliott’s performance. He’s just getting warmed up, hunting for that spark. Given the small number of races, especially with only one at an intermediate track like Las Vegas, it’s tough to say he’s in a slump. The real test will come in the next few weeks, with races at Phoenix, Bristol, and the Circuit of the Americas on the horizon. That’s when we’ll get a clearer picture.

For now, Chase Elliott and his crew are gearing up for the challenges ahead, with some promising tracks up next. No need to stress just yet—let’s wait and see how things unfold.