After the disappointing season that was the 2023 NASCAR Cup Series for Chase Elliott, many fans believed that he would come out of the gate firing on all cylinders in 2024. Unfortunately, that has not happened yet. In fact, he has been pretty irrelevant in the battles for race wins so far this year. While the stats show improvement when compared to last year, the problem is that last season, he did not take part in 3 of those 5 races. So naturally, fans are not paying much heed to that comparison as many believe that the data is not an accurate representation of Elliott’s performance.

The Hendrick Motorsports star missed six races last year due to a serious leg injury and then one more through suspension. He could not record a single win and did not make it into the playoffs, capping off one of the worst seasons of the 28-year-old’s career so far. The Bristol race was the first time this year that he has managed to finish in the top 10, which is shocking to hear for someone of his caliber.

Stats show a positive start to the 2024 season for Chase Elliott

Last year, Chase Elliott was able to take part in the first couple of races at the start of the series and finished P38 and P2, respectively. That brought his average finish to 14.6. This year, after five races, that has improved slightly to 13.6. One aspect that has significantly improved in this time is his average starting position. Last year after the first five races, it was 20.8. This year, it is 10.4.

Apart from the aforementioned numbers, the Hendrick Motorsports driver’s average running position in 2023 was 16.8 while this year, it has improved to 13.1. His average driver rating has also seen a marked uptick as it has improved from 77.9 to 84.6. These certainly look like like promising numbers for Elliott’s future.

However, there is one issue that, according to many, render these number irrelevant. Chase Elliott never competed in all of the first five races of the 2023 NASCAR Cup Series season. As a result, race fans were not impressed when it was posted on X and they made their opinions about it crystal clear.

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NASCAR fans deliver scathing judgment on misfiring Cup Series star

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NASCAR fans are known for being among the most vocal and brutally honest in the world and that was brought to the forefront when one user commented, “This is….meaningless.” Another user suggested that the user of the account that put out those stats was just a Chase fan who wanted to feel good about their favorite driver. “Whatever it takes to convince yourself he’s fine,” they quipped.

One fan brought up the fact that he did not take part in all of the first five races last season but wrongfully stated that he took part in 3 races. But his opinion still made sense. “Being that last year he ran 3 then came back he definitely should be better,” they commented. “

One fan believes that Chase Elliott’s best days are behind him and even suggested his replacement in the team, which is quite a scathing criticism considering that the Hendrick Motorsports driver is only 28 years old. “Unfortunately hes washed 😪 he’ll be lucky to get ride at Kaulig or maybe Rick ware but he glory days are over. Austin Dillon will do great things in the 9 at HMS,” they wrote.

The season might not have begun the way he would have wanted it to, but the driver of the #9 is a former Cup Series champion. Everyone is well aware of the talent he has behind the wheel and despite the negativity, one can safely assume that the 28-year-old will be back to his best at some point in the future.

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