It’s well past time for a major change on the No. 9 team if Chase Elliott is going to return to his winning ways. While a quick glance at the 2025 NASCAR Cup Series standings shows Elliott sitting fifth with a solid record—two top fives, five top 10s, and no finish worse than 20th—the reality underneath tells a different story.
Things haven’t been “fine” for Elliott for the past three years. For a driver representing one of NASCAR’s elite teams, being consistent isn’t the ultimate goal—winning races is. But in his last 79 points-paying races, Elliott has just one victory. Meanwhile, his Hendrick Motorsports teammates Kyle Larson and William Byron have combined for 23 wins in the same span.
Even more troubling is that Elliott hasn’t been much of a factor at the front of the field. Since the start of 2023, he’s led only 670 laps—less than he led in any of his individual seasons from 2020 to 2022, when he was one of NASCAR’s top stars.
Between 2020 and 2022, Elliott scored 12 wins and captured the 2020 championship with a legendary playoff run. At just 24 to 26 years old during that stretch, he seemed to be entering his prime. But instead of progressing, his performance has plateaued, and questions are mounting about why.
Much of the spotlight is now on crew chief Alan Gustafson. Even during Elliott’s peak years, some argued his success came despite Gustafson, not because of him. One glaring example came in the 2020 Coca-Cola 600, when a questionable pit call cost Elliott a shot at a crown jewel win.
Gustafson has worked with some of NASCAR’s best drivers, including Kyle Busch, Mark Martin, and Jeff Gordon. But as the playing field has tightened with the Next Gen car, strategic decisions and track position are more critical than ever—and Gustafson isn’t giving Elliott the tools to win.
Elliott shouldn’t be racing “not to lose.” He’s a generational talent who energizes NASCAR like few others. While injuries and setbacks affected his 2023 campaign, and 2024 showed slight improvement, the lack of wins is unacceptable.
The No. 9 team has clearly stalled, and with Elliott still in his prime, drastic changes are needed before more of it is wasted.
