Just when we thought Chase Elliott was down and out from the 2024 Championship battle owing to his lackluster form, NASCAR’s most popular driver quickly turned the tables back in his favor with a stellar win at Texas Motor Speedway last weekend. Not only did this win mark the end of his absence from victory lane after 42 painstaking starts, but it also opened the floodgates for fans to shout Eureka as the #9 Chevy seems to have rediscovered its lost pace. With that said, all of that hard work put in by the #9 Hendrick Motorsports crew may go up in flames as Chase Elliott hints at the departure of crucial key members during the pre-race conference at the Talladega Superspeedway
‘Those things just don’t last forever” Chase Elliott gets candid about the #9 HMS garage’s resurgence
Speaking of the important factors behind the success of the #9 garage, it’s no secret that crew chief Alan Gustafson has played a vital role in helping Elliott become the dominant force he is seen as today. Though that stellar form may have disappeared ever since the Next Gen car arrived, the weekend at Texas Motor Speedway was truly a push in the right direction. To prove just how formidable the pairing of Elliott and Gustafson has been, the #9 crew delivered a record-breaking four-tire pit stop at 8.49 seconds, the fastest in all of NASCAR history. It was inevitable that Chase Elliott would bounce back sooner or later, but the fact that Alan Gustafsson had tremendous faith in his driver may have played a role. Elliott explained how Garage #9 has been under construction since his 2022 and revealed how important it was that all the stars aligned. He explained: “Luckily, I’ve had a few experiences throughout my career where I’ve had really good people come together and work well together. I feel like I’m able to do that now, sometimes.”
However, the number nine driver appeared to show signs of concern, repeatedly stressing that momentum could be lost due to changes in key crew members. The HMS driver said in the Cup Scene video: “People are leaving and there are other opportunities, you can get a new job, you can get promoted in other teams, so it’s going to be very important to take advantage of that. “Right?” These things won’t last forever.
As the #9 garage picked up pace with the win at Texas, Elliott shared his wishes for the #9 to maintain that start. Elliott feels that the team has been working wonders with their current roster, squeezing every ounce of performance out of his car as the season unfolds. He shared his wishful thinking about the current squad staying together as if he were privy to some information that could mean otherwise. Elliott concluded, “Everyone is driven to work for and with each other and push one another to be better and that’s a special thing, and it’s really fun to be a part of so I hope that we can all stay together for a long time but unfortunately that’s just not how it works but what’s cool about it is that we have a really good group right now. And I think we’re all very driven to make the very most of that while things are clicking.”
Though it seems like NASCAR’s most popular driver is eager to keep the ball rolling as it is within the #9 Hendrick Motorsports garage, Elliott is well aware that the tides could change any minute on the sport’s winningest team too.
Elliott reveals his helplessness against NASCAR’s cyclical nature
As it stands, the Hendrick Motorsports/Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 combination appears to be the most reliable for Chase Elliott, as that combination has proven to be deadly for Cup Series competition all season long. However, the 28-year-old driver was quick to point out that in a sport like NASCAR, variables can change in an instant. For a moment, Chevrolet may have the upper hand. Toyota may be next. Of course, Elliott knows there are things out of his control. “I think this sport goes through cycles, it goes through ups and downs,” he told the media before the Talladega race. I found it to be advantageous.” ”And then it swings in another direction and vice versa. I think that’s just the way it works, and I’m not sure you can do anything to combat that.”
According to the #9 driver, the constant ebb and flow of the team’s dominating and falling behind the frontrunners was an unavoidable reality. As a top team gets too comfortable or messes up with a package, others quickly swoop in to claim the top spot. Elliott believes there is no point in trying to resist that eventual change, but to try and swim out of it effectively will be the key.
He concluded, “When you get behind, you probably work a little harder in certain areas to make it better and I think it just creates this natural flow of people, you know, manufacturers being good and struggling, and you just have to ride that wave, I don’t think you can ever stop that.”
After taking a look at Chase Elliott’s uncertainty regarding the future of HMS and the #9 garage, do you think he’s aware of some internal changes that could have a major impact on his performance shortly?
