Watch NASCAR driver Bubba Wallace discuss his time in Knoxville
Watch NASCAR racer Bubba Wallace discuss his first pitch at Tennessee baseball sport, Bristol Motor Speedway and Knoxville
Chase Elliott’s final NASCAR Cup Collection win was greater than a 12 months in the past at Texas Motor Speedway.Elliott is at the moment on a 37-race winless streak within the Cup Collection, however has a number of top-five finishes this season.
Momentum is massive in NASCAR Cup Collection racing, however Chase Elliott would not consider any momentum could be picked up from a race that passed off greater than a 12 months in the past.
That is why the seven-time NASCAR Cup hottest driver would not count on to have an edge on Could 4 at Texas Motor Speedway (2:30 p.m. CT, FS1), the location of his final win.
“The excellent news was (Texas) went effectively,” he stated. “The dangerous information is it was 12 months in the past.”
In actual fact, it was greater than 12 months in the past, on April 14, 2024, however who’s counting? Elliott’s followers are counting as a result of it was his final Cup Collection factors victory. He received on Feb. 2 at The Conflict at Bowman Grey, however no factors are awarded within the first race of the season, and that will not assist him within the playoff push.
“Clearly, we would have liked to have extra factors wins,” Elliott stated. “Definitely The Conflict was an awesome weekend for us. Whereas it wasn’t a factors win, and I am very a lot conscious of that, it wasn’t like no person was making an attempt.”
Elliott received 18 Cup races from 2018 to 2022. Texas, nonetheless, is his solely win prior to now 2½ seasons.
The Dawsonville, Georgia, native is at the moment driving a 37-race winless streak. That is the eighth-longest amongst all Cup drivers. He has not recorded a stage win in 2025.
There are two positives, nonetheless, working in his favor. Whereas Elliott hasn’t made it again to victory lane, he has been shut. And he has traditionally run effectively throughout a stretch of the season that’s developing.
Earlier than ending fifth final week at Talladega, Elliott was fourth at Martinsville and the Circuit of Americas. He has three different top-10 finishes and hasn’t been out of the top-20 since ending thirty third in October 2024 at Las Vegas. He is at the moment fourth within the NASCAR factors standings and the one driver within the high 5 and not using a win.
Nonetheless, shut hasn’t been adequate for Elliott. Particularly contemplating he believes the setup for his Hendricks Motorsports Chevrolet is as stable because it was earlier in his profession, when he was considered one of NASCAR’s most constant winners.
“I am no completely different than anybody else on our workforce, we would like extra and I feel we’re able to extra,” he stated. “We’re pleased with these good runs that we have had however we all know that there is extra within the tank and that we will extract extra out of our workforce. We have had some alternatives to (win) this 12 months, however actually not the quantity of alternatives that we’d like or that we should always have.”
After Texas, the place Elliott prolonged a protracted line of success for Hendrick Motorsports on the 1.5-mile observe in 2024, is Kansas, the place he was third final 12 months, has been within the top-10 the previous 4 races and received in 2018.
After that, there’s the All-Star race at North Wilkesboro, which Elliott received in 2020 at Bristol; then Charlotte, the place he additionally received in 2020; and Nashville, the place he received in 2022.
It is a candy spot within the schedule Elliott admits he seems to be ahead to.
“The season continues to be very early and I’ve seen sufficient excessive spots to provide me hope within the route we have gone in to this point,” he stated. “Kansas has been an excellent observe in most journeys. We have had some good runs there for certain. It simply fits us, or fits me traditionally. The setting (at North Wilkesboro) has been nice the final couple of years. It is thrilling and fulfilling to win an All-Star race anyplace and happily I’ve had that have as soon as and I stay up for that stretch developing.”
