Despite his worst losing streak and Kyle Busch’s obvious absence, Chase Elliott wows NASCAR fans After finishing third at this year’s Iowa meet, Chase Elliott said, “I’ve had some solid days.” Kyle Larson’s presence usually makes the Hendrick Motorsports team shine. Larson made it into the group of “best racers in the world” in his second try. But Elliott’s redemption story as he steps out of the shadows is nothing short of inspiring.
After a year of poor performance and low motivation, Elliott worked on himself. NASCAR fans are now marveling at how he has reversed his fortunes and expertly piloted the Next Generation car. While Elliott is enjoying his prime, Kyle Busch may be having the worst season of his career.
Chase Elliott secures the top spot
When the Next Generation car debuted in 2022, it served two functions. The first was to reduce costs, and the second was to increase parity on the route. The former is a hotly debated topic, while the latter has yet to surface. Ultimately, it came down to who was flexible enough to drive this new vehicle. And the impact is visible. Kyle Larson, the most successful racer this season with four wins, also leads his colleagues in the NextGen points standings. Larson also leads the NASCAR Cup standings, followed by teammate Chase Elliott.
Larson leads the NextGen points standings behind William Byron and Denny Hamlin, who each have three wins. Behind him is reigning Cup Series champion Ryan Blaney. Close behind are Joe Gibbs Racing standout drivers Christopher Bell and Martin Truex Jr.
But Chase Elliott’s seventh-place finish is a surprise. Remember Elliott’s horrible incident last season? He missed seven races because he broke a bone while snowboarding. Then NASCAR punished him when he surprised Denny Hamlin at Charlotte, and Elliott missed the playoffs. Chase Elliott has come a long way since his ordeal. This year, he had his Texas win streak ended at 42. He finished in the top five seven times in his No. 9 Chevrolet and avoided retirement. Elliott had only one win at this point in the season, just like his championship year in 2020.
But he picked up steam toward the end of the year, winning four straight races. Elliott and Larson were tied for first place in the regular season standings in June with 620 points each. He currently sits second in the points standings and needs just 10 more points to overtake his partner again.
Meanwhile, 63-time Cup winner Kyle Busch is in an entirely different situation. Denny Hamlin and Kevin Harvick criticized his performance after his fifth DNF of the season at Pocono. The Brickyard 400 was his 43rd winless race and he finished 25th.
The Richard Childress Racing driver is currently in a terrible points situation, more than 100 points behind the playoff cutoff. Until Elliott recovers, the veteran driver may go through a dark patch. And NASCAR fans are excited about the remarkable growth of the No. 9 car driver. Chase Elliott was in a slump this time last year. Elliott’s 2023 climbing journey ended in disaster after just two races, including missing seven with a foot injury. The rest of the year was bad for him, and he was unable to make up for his absence. Fans were surprised to see Elliott’s place on the scoreboard.
One supporter said, “Chase missed seven races last year, and it’s pretty impressive to see him on this list,” and others agreed, although there was a slight statistical error. Elliott was down six races and placed seventh. Avid Chase Elliott supporters came out to cheer on their driver. They believed that if it weren’t for the No. 9 driver’s unexpected absence, he would have beaten his rivals to the top spot in the points standings. One person observed, “If Chase hadn’t missed seven races, he probably would have stayed with his teammate,” while another fan said, “If he hadn’t missed seven races, how far would Chase have gone?”
Chase Elliott’s success story is obviously exciting NASCAR fans. But Kyle Busch is on the other end of the spectrum, in the midst of his worst performance slump ever. Let’s see if he can follow Elliott’s lead and bounce back.
