Hendrick Motorsports could not have asked for a better start to the season. In two of the first three races, they have grabbed the early wins and secured two playoff seats for the #5 and #24 teams. However, the other two drivers, Chase Elliott and Alex Bowman, have not been able to join their teammates’ winning bandwagon.
It is interesting to note that both Elliott and Bowman missed out on crucial points races last season due to injuries and have been searching for the elusive win. Standards are always high when driving for Hendrick Motorsports, but despite going through the lean patch, the team is confident in their ability to turn the tides in their favor.
Nothing can deter The HMS team’s confidence in the driver duo of Elliott and Bowman
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Chase Elliott had a dry 2023 season, failing to make the playoffs for the first time, and was hopeful of turning a corner with his comeback in 2024. Whereas Bowman came agonizingly close to breaking his winless streak at the Daytona 500. However, for some reason or other, the two drivers have been struggling to get the desired results, but this will change soon, according to HMS’s Vice-President and General Manager.
Speaking about the two teams on the SiriusXM radio show, Jeff Andrews, said, “We felt like that was a very solid weekend for 9 team, Chase and Alan have been putting a lot of time and a lot of effort into that team and worked really hard on Vegas…So there were some positive there, certainly not the top-10 or top-5 results that they wanted but you know as we talked about it Monday there were some real markers that were improvements.”
Speaking about Bowman’s run this season, he added, “Then the 48 was again we felt going to have a decent day and pretty capable of running inside of the top-10. We had one little hiccup there on the pit stop and lost some track position. We’re positive about the improvements and the changes that have been made during the off-season… but those other teams are working hard and we’re excited to keep going on in the season and keep building on that.”
🏁 It's been over 500 days since either Chase Elliott or Alex Bowman won a #NASCAR Cup Series race. Should fans be worried?@TeamHendrick VP & GM Jeff Andrews isn't. ⬇️
More ➡️ https://t.co/WGRTG5gVtL pic.twitter.com/bmdlcdMElP
— SiriusXM NASCAR Radio (Ch. 90) (@SiriusXMNASCAR) March 8, 2024
After a streak of near misses on good finishes this season, Chase Elliott is indeed in a good spot going into the Phoenix race. Looking back on his record at the racetrack, he is among the favorites to win this Sunday’s race.
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Phoenix is a perfect place for Elliott to script his comeback story
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The 28-year-old is desperate to get back to winning ways in the NASCAR Cup Series. A #14, 15, and 12-place finish might look like good results for an ordinary driver, but certainly not for HMS star driver Elliott. Luckily, the HMS driver will have a chance to grab his first win in over 37 races with this Sunday’s race at Phoenix Raceway. The driver has fond memories of winning the championship at the venue back in 2020.
In a total of 15 starts at Phoenix, Elliott has managed five top-5 finishes along with eight top-10s. Considering his decent record at the racetrack, the driver will be backing himself to collect maximum points this weekend. Or perhaps get the win to seal a playoff spot for himself. Thus putting an end to his disappointing run that has stretched for a while now.
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It’s not the end of the road for Elliott if he fails to put on a solid show at Phoenix this Sunday, but a win or at least a top-five finish would fuel his comeback for the season.