What’s Happening?

On paper, being 7th in points with a stage win through three races is a solid start to the season. However, when taking all factors into account, Chase Elliott’s start has not been quite so optimistic as he is lagging behind his teammates once again. While only three races in, is it time to panic for Chase Elliott fans?

The Humbling of the Chase Elliott Brand

• Chase Elliott had a forgettable 2023 including an injury, a suspension, missing the Playoffs, and no wins. Meanwhile, teammates Kyle Larson and William Byron made it all the way to the Championship 4.
• In 2024, that trend has continued. Will Elliott find a way back to his top form?
• Fans are growing restless with Chase Elliott to some extent. However, many believe that it is too early to throw Elliott under the bus.

The Start of the 2024 Season

To start the 2024 season, Chase Elliott has been…okay, but, not great. After a mechanical failure at the Clash at the Coliseum, Elliott finished a solid 2nd in his Duel at Daytona. He followed that up by winning stage one of the Daytona 500.

Since then, Elliott hasn’t reached those heights. He was caught up in an accident late in the Daytona 500, finishing 14th, and he was in 3 more accidents at Atlanta, finishing 15th, failing to lead a lap. At Las Vegas, he finished 6th in stage two, but, he fell back to 12th at the end of the race.

Now, that’s not a completely awful start to the season, but, compare this start to his teammates. Each Hendrick Motorsports driver has at least one top-5 finish in the first three races except for Elliott. William Byron and Kyle Larson have each won a race.

Who Will Be Hendrick’s #1 Driver For 2024?

This is deja vu. In 2023, Larson and Byron combined to win 10 races, while Elliott won 0. What could make the start of the season so worrying is not necessarily the start itself, but the fact that it’s the same trend from last season. However, there is light at the end of the tunnel.

What Elliott Has Coming Up

Chase Elliott’s greatest strength is not intermediate race tracks, it’s short tracks and road courses. Of his 18 career wins, only 3 have come on intermediate race tracks. He has 7 career wins on road courses and 4 career wins on short tracks.

Well, well, well, look at what is on the upcoming schedule. The next four races are Phoenix, Bristol, COTA, Richmond, and Martinsville. That is 4 short tracks and 1 road course, and 4 of those 5 tracks are places Elliott has won before.

In 2023, when Elliott was struggling, he had some success at these race tracks. He had a top-10 at Bristol (7th), led a season-high 83 laps at Martinsville, qualified 4th at Richmond, and the closest he came to a win was on a road course when he finished 2nd at Indianapolis.

Is It Time to Panic?

There is reason for concern with Chase Elliott given that the story is basically the same as it was in 2023. However, the season is still only 3 races old, and Elliott is 7th in the points standings. He also has tracks coming up that he is historically very good at.

Is it time to panic? Maybe not quite yet, but, if this trend continues over the next 5 races, then it may be time to panic.