Chase Elliott fourth in standings despite winless streak: ‘We're capable of more'
FORT WORTH, Texas — Chase Elliott returned to the track where he earned his last NASCAR Cup Series points-race victory. And he didn't know how to feel.
He could have felt excited because he was returning to the Texas Motor Speedway track where he last earned a win (not including the preseason exhibition Clash at Bowman Gray Stadium). Or he could have returned with a little bit of frustration, considering it has been more than a full year (37 races) since his last triumph.
"Obviously, I would have loved to have had more points wins," Elliott said. "Certainly the Clash was a great weekend for us. And while it wasn't a points win — and I'm very much aware of that — it wasn't like nobody was trying.
"For us, that was a great way to start the season, and we just have to keep building on it."
Elliott said he takes things week to week and believes the lessons learned in recent races are much more pertinent than what they might have learned a year ago at Texas.
He qualified 29th and ended up 16th at Texas, and it was a frustrating day. He took two tires for track position after the second stage, but he wasn't able to maintain a top-10 pace and then battled a vibration.
But he remains fourth in the Cup standings, well above the current playoff cut line. In 11 races, Elliott has three top fives, six top 10s and no finishes worse than 20th.
So it's not like the Hendrick driver has had a bad season. Far from it. But he also has not won a stage this year, let alone a race.
"No different than anyone else on our team. We want more," Elliott said prior to the Texas race. "We're capable of more, and we just have high expectations of ourselves and we know what we're capable of.
"That's where we are proud of those good runs that we've had. But we know that there's more in the tank and that we can extract more out of our team and race results and lead some more laps and get ourselves in good position."
Elliott has led laps in just three races this year. He led two laps at Daytona, 42 laps at Martinsville and one lap at Talladega. He has not finished better than fourth. He has finished in the top 10 in nine of the 22 stages this year but has finished in the top four in stages just four times.
"We've had a couple opportunities at [wins and stage wins] this year, but certainly not the amount of opportunities that I think we need to have, or that we should have, or that we should give ourselves," Elliott said.
"The season is still very early. ... I've seen enough high spots to kind of give me hope."
The fourth-place finish at Circuit of the Americas and the other fourth-place finish at Martinsville were among those that give him hope. He has been in the mix at all the superspeedways and entered Texas coming off a fifth-place finish at Talladega.
"There's been enough high spots in there for me to have confidence in some of the things that we're doing and keep going to work each week," Elliott said.
So what's the answer?
For Elliott, he said he needs to keep faith in their preparation and continue preparing like they know they should.
"All you can do when you're in this fight is just keep showing up ... continue to put the right amount of effort throughout the weekend to make sure you're prepared to show up on any given weekend and put together a solid day," Elliott said.
"But it's all got to go together. It all has to come together at the right time. I have to do my job. We've got to call good races on the box. We have to have good pit stops. It's all there. Obviously, we want more and we expect more."
Bob Pockrass covers NASCAR and INDYCAR for FOX Sports. He has spent decades covering motorsports, including over 30 Daytona 500s, with stints at ESPN, Sporting News, NASCAR Scene magazine and The (Daytona Beach) News-Journal. Follow him on Twitter @bobpockrass.
recommended
Get more from NASCAR Cup Series Follow your favorites to get information about games, news and more in this topic
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
New York Times
an hour ago
- New York Times
Brad Keselowski, as playoff hopes fade, grapples with another difficult loss
HAMPTON, Ga. — Brad Keselowski has raced long enough to become well-versed in how to process tough losses. He knows how to quickly move past the hurt and turn his focus to what's next. It's a part of why he is so successful — a NASCAR Cup Series champion, a 36-time race winner, and likely an eventual first-ballot NASCAR Hall of Famer. Advertisement But considering the stakes Saturday night at Atlanta Motor Speedway, it's hard not to think the 41-year-old Keselowski's latest tough loss is going to take a little longer to process. And yet, there he stood on pit road after falling victim to a numbers game, not able to overcome the teamwork executed by the Hendrick Motorsports duo of Chase Elliott and Alex Bowman and trying not to dwell on what could've been. 'Every loss stings,' Keselowski said. It's been a trying season for Keselowski, one filled with missed opportunities, bad luck and miscues that have contributed to him being buried in the standings. Coming into Atlanta, he ranked 30th in points, so deep that his only pathway to the playoffs was by winning one of the remaining nine regular-season races. Atlanta represented a chance for reprieve, for Keselowski to push past what is statistically his worst season since 2010, his de facto rookie year. And in a race he needed to win to salvage his faint playoff hopes, he delivered a stirring performance that called back to a time when he ruled on drafting tracks like Atlanta, which shares similar characteristics to Daytona and Talladega — two tracks at which he owns a combined seven wins — since being reconfigured three years ago. Much of Saturday's final stage was vintage Keselowski. There he was, making sweeping passes going into the corners, pulling off impressive blocks when someone behind him got a big run, executing aggressive moves when called for, completing a smooth-looking crossover pass on Elliott off Turn 4 as they dueled in the closing laps, and deftly working with RFK Racing teammate Chris Buescher, who acted as his wingman. 'That's the Brad that is so good at these super speedways and this style of racing,' Buescher said. 'We had race cars that enabled us to make moves, and most specifically, Brad, to make some of those power moves that he's so good at. It's a big step for us just having better race cars and him showing what he's capable of when we get to that point.' Advertisement But as great as Keselowski was, he couldn't stave off Elliott on the final lap. The Hendrick driver got a run down the frontstretch, allowing him to complete the pass going through Turns 1 and 2. Any chance Keselowski had to counterattack went away when a charging Bowman opted not to work with Keselowski, instead protecting his teammate and ensuring a Hendrick win. THE SI-REEN SOUNDS AGAIN! @chaseelliott wins with a last-lap pass of @keselowski! — NASCAR (@NASCAR) June 29, 2025 '(Bowman) was a great teammate in that moment, for sure,' Elliott said. 'If (Bowman) takes me two-wide, we are all but saying, 'Here, Brad, you can win.' … It's our job as a company to try to get Hendrick Motorsports a win at that point in time, whether it was he or I or however that transpired, right? Naturally, it did just that.' It was a selfless decision by Bowman — who also needs a win as he too is fighting for a playoff spot — but one that proved costly to Keselowski. Without a push by Bowman, and without Bowman going after Elliott and slowing the Hendrick teammates, Keselowski was virtually helpless with Buescher having fallen back. Elliott snapped a 44-race winless streak; Keselowski's winless streak extended to 41 races. '(Elliott and Bowman) were able to work together really well and kind of doubled up on me at the end, and there was nothing I could do,' Keselowski said. Had Keselowski been able to close out, Saturday night's triumph would've been one for the highlight reel. It wasn't as memorable as when he won at Pocono in 2011, days after breaking his ankle in a crash while testing, or at Talladega in 2014, when he came through in a must-win situation in a playoff elimination race, but Atlanta would've certainly been another moment in a career defined by them. Maybe knowing there was nothing he could've done differently is why Keselowski was so pragmatic afterward. He's experienced this enough times to understand that the circumstances are sometimes just beyond your control. Still, the reality is that Keselowski's point situation is so dire that he must win a race in the next eight weeks or he'll fail to qualify for the playoffs. And with three of the eight remaining races held on road/street courses — he's never won on either track type — his path to the postseason feels even narrower. 'I don't think about that,' Keselowski said. 'I just want to win.' (Top photo of Brad Keselowski, left, leading the pack alongside Alex Bowman during Saturday's race: Sean Gardner / Getty Images)
Newsweek
4 hours ago
- Newsweek
Drivers Speak Out After Huge NASCAR Crash Takes Out More than 20 Cars
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. The NASCAR Cup Series race in Atlanta saw a huge pileup involving more than 20 cars after Denny Hamlin made contact with John Hunter Nemechek on Lap 69. The incident led Nemechek to hit the outside wall, which then triggered a massive crash. Several cars got involved in the incident, with tire smoke and pieces of carbon fiber going up in the air. The track was blocked by the wrecked cars, prompting NASCAR to halt the race and clear the wreckage. The massive pileup occurred early in the second stage, affecting a total of 23 cars. Several big names from the NASCAR Cup Series were affected by the pileup, including Brad Keselowski, Ryan Preece, Joey Logano, and Kyle Larson. The affected drivers were taken to the infield care center for a checkup. A huge incident involving many drivers entering Turn 3! — NASCAR (@NASCAR) June 29, 2025 Unfortunately for Logano, he was unable to continue after the crash despite starting from pole position. Admitting that he was in the wrong place at the wrong time, he said: Austin Cindric, driver of the #2 Menards/Quaker State Ford, Denny Hamlin, driver of the #11 King's Hawaiian Toyota, Josh Berry, driver of the #21 DEX Imaging Ford, and Ryan Preece, driver of the #60 Solomon... Austin Cindric, driver of the #2 Menards/Quaker State Ford, Denny Hamlin, driver of the #11 King's Hawaiian Toyota, Josh Berry, driver of the #21 DEX Imaging Ford, and Ryan Preece, driver of the #60 Solomon Plumbing Ford, spin after an on-track incident during the NASCAR Cup Series Quaker State 400 Available at Walmart at Echo Park Speedway on June 28, 2025 in Hampton, Georgia. More"I was in the middle of it and I haven't seen a replay to even know what happened. Cars were sideways and you hit the brakes and everyone is just running into each other. Just a speedway wreck. Wrong place at the wrong time. Tried to win the stage and we couldn't get that done, and you got to pay the piper when you go to the back there." Addressing the incident after viewing the replay, Logano added: "The whole field wrecked, and I'm just in the soup there. Oh my gosh - look at that. Oh, that's horrible. "Sometimes you're the ball, sometimes you're the bat. Tonight we were the ball." Chase Briscoe said attempts to repair his car after the crash were futile. He explained: "Yeah, I don't know how bad our damage was. They were fixing it, and we were about ready to go, and I guess NASCAR came over there and saw that our chassis was broke or bent or something and were like, you can't go back out. So, kind of a waste of 30 minutes working on it. Just unfortunate night for our Bass Pro Shops Toyota." Corey LaJoie revealed his views on the incident after watching the replay. He said: "We see people pushing like dummies early, and then I just come in here and get pushed into it. I come out of the smoke and every corner on my Mustang was knocked off of it. Unfortunately, that was the end of my day. "I don't know what we're doing. We just started the second stage. I don't know why we're pushing like we're damn bumper cars at Frankie's fun park. That's not to be surprised. I think there's a lot of guys who don't make wise decisions driving these things on speedways."
NBC Sports
13 hours ago
- NBC Sports
Former crew chief for Denny Hamlin takes on unique role with Ty Gibbs' team
HAMPTON, Ga. — Half a season after his promotion from being Denny Hamlin's crew chief to competition director at Joe Gibbs Racing, Chris Gabehart was back atop a pit box Saturday night at Atlanta. But he wasn't working with Hamlin. Gabehart, who won 22 Cup races with Hamlin from 2019-24, served as the race strategist for Ty Gibbs at Atlanta. That meant talking to Gibbs on the radio and orchestrating strategy with crew chief Tyler Allen. 'Let's call it unorthodox for this garage,' Gabehart told NBC Sports about the added duties he will have for an undetermined amount of time. 'But the reality is that once (Joe Gibbs Racing) got three cars in the playoffs, when you look at it simply, we've got one left we're trying to get in.' Gibbs has had some opportunities to win recently. He placed third at Michigan three weeks ago. He left the race frustrated with how much fuel he had to save at the end and wasn't able to challenge Hamlin, who also saved fuel but won. When Gibbs complained on the radio to Allen about giving that race away, Gabehart jumped on the team's channel and said: 'Hey, we didn't give (anything) away. We had a great day. We did what we needed to do. We got a top five. Our other car won. It's about big picture. All right? Take this and build.' Dustin Long, Gibbs was the main challenger to winner Shane van Gisbergen the following week at Mexico. That race turned when a caution came out at Lap 66, three laps after van Gisbergen pitted. Gibbs had yet to make his final stop. Pitting under that caution dropped Gibbs from the lead to 13th, behind those who had stopped under green. Allen, in his second year as a crew chief and first in the Cup Series, told NBC Sports after the Mexico race that he felt he needed to stay out longer to have a tire advantage against van Gisbergen in the final laps. 'It's super risky at a road course,' Allen said after that race about staying out longer. 'If that caution doesn't come, we have a really good shot to win. Unfortunately, it did and buried us back in about 15th and that was about all we could do.' Gibbs couldn't get through the field and finished 11th that day. At Pocono, Gibbs finished 14th. He pitted five times in the race. Eight of the cars ahead of him pitted four or fewer times in that race. Gibbs finished 14th on Saturday night. While he led 32 laps, he scored no stage points and fell a spot in the season standings to 24th. 'Tyler and his team has been doing a great job,' Gabehart said after Saturday night's race at Atlanta. 'They were a stone's throw away from winning at Michigan. They were a caution away from contending for the win at Mexico. (Pocono), golly, strategies upside down and (Atlanta strategy was) upside down. 'Really, three out of the last four weeks we've been at least within shouting distance of a win with this car. It's nothing about the job that this team has been doing. It's taking all your resources that are available to you and trying to get the last car in the playoffs.' Gibbs is 86 points from the playoff cutline with eight races left in the regular season. He all but needs to win to make the playoffs. While being a strategist for the team, a key for Gabehart is to have that direct communication on the radio with Gibbs during a race. Also, as strategies change, he can quickly make a call instead of relaying it to Allen or someone else to tell Gibbs. 'The margin for winning and not winning in this sport is as tight as it's ever been,' Gabehart said of talking on the radio to Gibbs as opposed to the crew chief. 'It's the smallest of things. One reason might be some instance that I can get through to (Gibbs) or a decision I made on the fly that may not be clear at first but results in an opportunity to win. That's a nuance. Another nuance is Ty knows my history and resume, so maybe he'll respond to that in a little bit different way. 'Another nuance is the tremendous opportunity, and I can speak this because I've lived this for the last half a year, that being able to zoom out just half a beat and look at your race team from just a little bit zoomed out perspective like Tyler is now getting to do, there's a lot to see and learn from there, watching someone like myself do it vs. being in (it) yourself either as a crew chief, as he's been for the last year and a half, or as an engineer. 'I think the truth is you can learn something from anything and you never know what might make the difference.' Nate Ryan, With Gabehart more focused on trying to Gibbs in the playoffs, how does Gabehart not let that impact what he does for the organization's other three teams, which are trying to score as many playoff points before the regular season ends? 'That's ultimately up for me to manage,' Gabehart said. 'The decision was made to spread me a little thinner … so that's what we'll do.' With it less than a season since Gabehart last served as a crew chief, the abilities he honed atop the pit box remain fresh. Alan Gustafson, crew chief for Atlanta winner Chase Elliott, says that he knows that Gabehart will make a positive impact on Gibbs and the team for however long he remains in the strategist role. 'I have a lot of respect for Christ, I've raced with Chris for a long time,' Gustafson said. 'There's guys that you work with in this garage that do things the right way and race really hard and give you everything they've got and are fair and respectful. Chris is one of those guys. … He's really good at what he does.'
