“Haven’t Heard From Him” – Chase Elliott’s Own Teammate Snubs His Importance at HMS Amid Playoff Failure

What started out as a bad dream quickly became a nightmare for the 2020 Cup Series champion, Chase Elliott. A 6-race absence and a race suspension held the driver back while the absence of a win sealed the deal for him as he ended his seven-year playoff streak.

Now, for Hendrick Motorsports, 2023 has been pretty decent except for Elliott and his teammate, Alex Bowman’s fall from grace. The other 2 in the roster are perched high in the standings with the youngest driver making the most out of the 4, becoming the points leader with 5 wins. While ardent Elliott fans got their heart broken into a million pieces, his teammate is not having any of it as he ignores the driver’s chances to make up for his failure in the remaining races.

Chase Elliott gets disregarded as his teammate states the obvious

Aside from the #9 and #48 of Chase Elliott and Alex Bowman, the other 2 HMS drivers, the generational talent, Kyle Larson and his young teammate, William Byron, are solid championship contenders.

Byron not only shattered all expectations, but he managed to rack up the most wins this year, something even the seasoned veterans failed to do. Before the Cup Series action reached the first playoff round in Darlington, Byron’s place in the standing also got him a bonus of 36 points. All in all, things are looking up for the 24 team. Fans can only wish the #9 team was leading a similar campaign.

For Chase Elliott, who got his thrilling streak ended in his 8th season, his only opportunity to make amends to his boss is doing his best out of the remaining 9 races in an effort to win Rick Hendrick an owner’s title.

However, that also seems like a big question mark, given the #9 team’s performances. When asked about how significant this is for Elliott and his team or if he has given any such implications, Byron simply said, “I haven’t heard from him how important it is.” 

“I do know that it’s important to the team as a whole. Yeah, those guys always do a good job executing races. I think they’ll put a lot of effort into the last 10 races and try to help us out when we can. I don’t expect their effort level to be any different,” said the driver. 

READ MORE: Chase Elliott Blames Himself as HMS Falls Short on Monumental Goal

Byron reveals his goals, mentioning the challenges and hurdles at Darlington

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Now, according to conventional wisdom, Darlington might seem like your average 1.3-mile track, but everyone should be aware of the track’s infamous reputation. But what exactly makes Darington such a challenge?

The rough and peculiar surface of the track is indeed one factor that comes out as a challenge. The old pavement just shreds out rubber from cars, needing them to pit more often to get back the lost speed and position. Another aspect is its tricky turns.

While one is wide enough for the field to go wide, the next corner they come across is tight and narrow. This is evident on the sidewalls with scratches due to the cars kissing the wall. Speaking on these aspects, Byron said, “It’s challenging because the tires go through such a transition here in 20 minutes.” He then opened up about his 2 goals, saying, “Goal #1 – have a good practice, #2 – get through the top 5 and make the necessary adjustments if any for the second round so for us it’s just a one step at a time.” 

WATCH THIS STORY: Amid Chase Elliott’s playoff disappointment, Rick Hendrick makes a painful 4-word confession 

The qualifying had the Toyotas at the top, with Joe Gibbs Racing‘s Christopher Bell taking the pole, closely followed by Denny Hamlin. But in the race, the Chevys shone bright with 5 of the cars making it into the top 10.