Chase Elliott Diplomatically Dissects Missed Victory Lane Opportunity Despite Martinsville Flaunting His NASCAR Rebound

Chase Elliott’s podium drought plaguing him since August 2023 was left in the dust, as Hendrick Motorsports decisively swept the first three sports at the world’s fastest conveyor belt in Martinsville. HMS’ 1-2-3 finish comes exactly 40 years after Geoff Bodine handed Rick Hendrick and his team their first victory in NASCAR’s premier tier.

The 6x Most Popular Driver took his ‘ruby-red’ #9 Chevrolet to an impressive P3 finish, marking the first time Martinsville has ever seen a 1-2-3 podium sweep. Teammate Kyle Larson finished in P2, while William Byron picked up his thirteenth career victory, and the third in only eight races run this season.

Chase Elliott claims P3 in Martinsville’s first-ever 1-2-3 sweep

Speaking to Regan Smith of FOX after the race, Elliott seemed to be all praises for the Hendrick contingent. He candidly congratulated almost everyone involved in this milestone victory. “2nd or 3rd what’s it matter, you know, at that point? Obviously, number one. Congrats to William and everyone at Hendrick Motorsports. Rick and Linda and all the folks. Geoff (Bodine), and Jeff (Gordon), and Chad (Knauss), and all the people that put this together for us. They have an unbelievable program and I think we’re all proud to call it home, and it was awesome hosting over 1000 folks from Hendrick today.” 

Chase continued his post-race conversations, simultaneously shedding light on the recent claims of underperformance in the Next Gen era. “So glad one of us could get it done. Wish we got it done, selfishly, like anybody would. But nice to have a couple of solid weeks and to be in contention there for a win, as hadn’t been in contention to win one in a while. So it was fun to kind of get to that last restart, had it actually mattered so enjoyed that aspect…” He followed up to make an outstanding declaration for fans to cherish, by saying, “Certainly, my hunger is more.”

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HMS’ #9 team has been on a steady rise claiming back-to-back top 5 finishes after languishing around P10 for most of the early season. Martinsville’s advance solidified the claims of a calm and “hungry” Elliott as he clarified, “The last couple of weeks, and really not just the last couple of weeks but I feel like throughout a lot of the season this year, we’ve just been working in a good direction. Working really well together, and pit stops have been really good, Alan (Gustafson) has been calling good races. I mean all that stuff has been really going in a positive direction in my opinion…”

Speculations were due for the 2022 champ as he concluded his interview, stating, “I think if we can just keep producing that, we’ll get our turn one day.” That day might very well be on the near horizon of the 2024 Cup Series. Nevertheless, following Byron’s victory, Hendrick Motorsports has won 50 percent of all races run this season. HMS’s ‘worst’ performer of the day, #48 Alex Bowman placed within the top 10 in eighth position. With the season now heading to the 1.5-mile Texas Motor Speedway in Fort Worth, Hendrick Motorsports will lead Joe Gibbs Racing for most race wins in 2024.

Read More: Chase Elliott Reminisces His First Victory at Martinsville Despite Having a “Terrible” Race