As Chase Elliott Runs Out of Favor at Hendrick Motorsports, His Only Opportunity to Revive Himself Headed Towards...

Let’s face the facts, the 2023 NASCAR Cup season has not been kind to Chase Elliott. Admittedly, part of it he brought it on himself. This was because he injured himself in a snowboarding accident and was out of action for a few races. He didn’t help his own case by earning a one-race suspension and robbing himself of another chance to reach the Playoffs. In the end, both he and Alex Bowman failed to qualify. This left Kyle Larson and William Byron as the sole Playoff representatives for Hendrick Motorsports.

Admittedly, even if Elliott can’t fight for the driver’s championship, he and Bowman can still score points. This would go a long way for them to win the team’s championship. Of course, Elliott is still winless this year, but not for the lack of trying. The 2020 Cup Series champion has finished in the Top 5 on multiple occasions, even as high as 2nd. However, it was always so close, but no cigar for the Georgia native.

There is still time to salvage something from this dumpster fire of a campaign. However, since there are three races left, time is running out for him to get that elusive race win. This could potentially end a five-year streak with at least one race win in the Cup Series. He has never won at Homestead-Miami, but his father Bill Elliott managed to achieve it. Additionally, teammate Kyle Larson was last year’s winner at the track, so it has been proven that Hendrick Motorsports can perform well there.

Even if he does not win at Homestead-Miami, he could still try his luck in Martinsville and Phoenix. Both of those tracks are places where he has won in the past. As a matter of fact, Chase Elliott triumphed at both venues during his championship-winning season. So for all the Chase Elliott fans, there is no cause for alarm just yet. In the event that he is forced to go winless, he will just have to suck it up and try again in 2024. Obviously, he will be sure to try to avoid injuries that could rule him out for multiple races.

It will be a very difficult conversation for Rick Hendrick on whether to allow extracurricular or put his foot down. Elliott’s and Bowman’s situations only serve to confirm his fears of these activities interfering with his championship challenge. However, Kyle Larson is on the opposite end of the spectrum, as he is well known for his non-NASCAR exploits. So far, he is doing just fine, juggling NASCAR and his other racing exploits, so should he be forced to stop because of his teammates?