“Not Getting Over Your Skis” – HMS Star Ironically Takes a Subtle Jab at Chase Elliott’s Failure

NASCAR’s most winningest team and Chevrolet’s flag bearer, Hendrick Motorsports has managed to sail through the rough seas in 2023 but at a cost. While 2 of its drivers made the playoff 16, the other 2 including the organization’s golden boy, Chase Elliott, and #48 driver Alex Bowman drowned in the playoff pressure despite their valiant efforts.

In March, HMS hit its initial rough patch with the #9 ace driver getting sidelined for 6 races after an unfortunate snowboarding accident. This not only got the team back but made the 2020 Cup Series champion’s situation all the more dire. And as the schedule progressed, Elliott just couldn’t run past it as he failed to rack up a much-needed win to keep his playoff hopes alive. Now that we are reaching the gates of Darlington for the playoff starter in his absence, Elliott’s teammate and HMS’ pride poked the #9 driver a sly one, learning from the #9’s unfortunate chapter as he gears for a first round.

HMS’ Pride shoots a sly jab at Chase Elliott as the action reaches the “tough” Darlington

Chase Elliott’s 2023 season has certainly been a nightmare for ardent HMS and Elliott fans. The driver’s absence and a 1-race suspension certainly did its damage as the driver in his 8 seasons in the Cup Series for the first time missed the playoffs. But what disappointed the fans was the sense of security and hope the driver always had despite being in dire straits.

Unlike many, Elliott was cool, so cool that the pressure seemed it never fazed the 2020 Cup Series champion. Even when the action reached its crescendo at the 2.5-mile Superspeedway at Daytona. Many from the community felt that the driver was looking past the hurdles in front of him. For HMS fanatics this gave them a false sense of hope that Elliott indeed with make the playoff 16 despite the odds getting stacked up against him.

Eventually, it all caught up to him. For the first time in his Cup Series career, the 2020 Cup Series champion missed the bubble, drowning his fans in misery. But for HMS fans, the story is just beginning. William Byron, the teams’ youngest driver has defied all odds, claiming 5 wins to be the points leaders with a 36-point bonus.

Reflecting on his upcoming venture at the tough and challenging short track, Byron started off with a subtle dig at his teammate, saying, “I think it’s just not getting over your skis. It’s really easy to hit the wall and rush the throttle or drive in a car-length, or so, too deep.” 

READ MORE: “A Lot Can Be Forgiven…” – Chase Elliott Will Not Jeopardize His Relationship With Rick Hendrick After Disappointing Season

He then mentioned the technicalities of the 1.3-mile track. “ So it’s a challenge, but I feel like that’s always the priority here – feeling your race car and feeling what it’s doing. You can’t really control what’s around you that much, but air is definitely tough here. It’s hard to find clean air, so that’s a disadvantage,” said the 25-year-old. 

Furthermore, he emphasized how important it is to stay vary of your surroundings on the tough track, saying, “But I think it’s just trying to manage the risk. As the race goes on, you have to run against the wall more and more because there’s more clean asphalt up there. It’s just a matter of kind of being patient.”

William Byron reveals his “solid” game plan, learning from Elliott’s mistakes

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NASCAR’s silly season so far has been a dream run for Kyle Busch’s prodigy. The driver not only shattered all expectations but the 25-year-old racked up the most wins by any driver this season – 5, thus tying himself up with Martin Truex Jr in points as the standings leader.

While one of Rick Hendrick’s teams killed themselves with the wrong strategy, the #24 has a different yet solid strategy at Darlington. Speaking to NASCAR’s race hub ahead of his anticipated run, he said, “The goal is to have a solid race, we don’t really want to push ourselves too hard and force an early mistake but certainly if we’re in a spot to compete for a win at the end, we want to go for it.”

WATCH THIS STORY: Chase Elliott apologizes to Rick Hendrick and team for losing, after being confused by HMS’ decision

With the driver starting things out slow and building it there on, Byron plans to be aggressive but cautious enough to take things slowly. “I think we’ll be kind of cautiously aggressive at the beginning and just kind of see what happens towards the end of the race,” said the #24 driver, hoping to make it a second time here at Darlington.