Going into Sunday’s Jack Hyperlink’s 500 at Talladega Superspeedway, Chase Elliott has not gained a Cup Sequence race since profitable at Texas Motor Speedway on April 14, 2024.
Whereas he sits fifth within the Cup Sequence standings, there’s been a noticeable lack of race-winning pace from the No. 9 staff. With a 36-race winless streak at the moment on his again, listed here are the tracks on the schedule within the close to future the place Elliott may break by means of and snap the drought.
–Talladega Superspeedway, Sunday
Elliott has became among the finest superspeedway racers within the area lately, which is mirrored by his numbers at Talladega. Elliott is a two-time Talladega winner (spring 2019, fall 2022) and has eight top-10 finishes on the 2.66-mile observe in 18 begins. A 14.6 common end at a observe as chaotic as Talladega is sort of the accomplishment, and Elliott hasn’t crashed out of a race at Talladega since 2020. He has led laps in his final 5 races there, and a drafting-style race may very well be what the Hendrick Motorsports driver wants to seek out his profitable mojo once more.
–Texas Motor Speedway, Could 4
Texas was the location of Elliott’s final Cup Sequence win in addition to his first Nationwide (now Xfinity) Sequence win in 2014. It is also been one in every of his higher tracks all through his Cup Sequence profession. Over his first seven races at TMS, Elliott completed no worse than thirteenth. Whereas the 1.5-mile venue hasn’t essentially been form to Elliott lately by way of outcomes, the Subsequent-Gen automobile has seen Elliott flip right into a constant entrance runner once more at Texas. He led 44 laps in 2022 earlier than crashing and ending thirty second, completed eleventh in 2023 and gained in 2024 after main 39 laps. Elliott will not be the odds-on favourite to win at Texas, however it could be stunning if he is not not less than in rivalry for a top-five end.
–Nashville Superspeedway, June 1
Within the 4 Cup Sequence races held at Nashville, Elliott has two top-five finishes, together with a win on the 1.33-mile observe in 2022. He completed fourth at Nashville in 2023, and whereas his different finishes — 18th in 2024 and thirty ninth in 2021 after a disqualification — are underwhelming, Elliott has proven plenty of promise at a observe a lot of the Cup Sequence area continues to be making an attempt to determine. If he’s nonetheless winless when NASCAR hits its summer season stretch, Nashville may very well be simply the place for the game’s hottest driver to interrupt by means of because the canine days of summer season strategy.
–Atlanta Motor Speedway, June 28
As beforehand talked about, Elliott has develop into among the finest superspeedway racers within the area, a useful attribute on the reconfigured Atlanta Motor Speedway. Within the six races Elliott has run on the reconfigured 1.5-mile observe — he missed Atlanta’s first date in 2023 as a result of a leg harm — he hasn’t completed worse than twentieth. He gained at Atlanta in July of 2022, and led 125 laps on the observe between the 2 races held there that 12 months. He solely has one top-10 during the last 4 Atlanta races, however he has been capable of convey his automobile residence in a single piece, which is step one to profitable a superspeedway race. Add in further motivation as a result of Atlanta being Elliott’s residence observe, and you’ve got a storybook win ready to occur ought to he nonetheless be on the schneid when the Cup Sequence rolls into the Peach State this summer season.
–Samuel Stubbs, Area Degree Media
