Sunday’s Autotrader EchoPark Automotive 400 ended a 42-race winless streak for Hendrick Motorsports driver Chase Elliott. Since then, everyone has been looking for an answer to the obvious question – Is Chase Elliott back? While the HMS driver saw some strong finishes last season, he ultimately could not find his way to victory lane in 2023.

Although much of Elliott’s troubles last season could be attributed to his tibia injury, many wondered if it was the new cars that had affected his performance. However, fighting back against all conjectures, Elliott’s spotter, Alan Gustafson, revealed how he keeps the 2020 champion motivated.

Alan Gustafson stresses Chase Elliott’s superiority in the pre-2023 era

Alan Gustafson, a NASCAR veteran who has worked with champions like Jeff Gordon and Mark Martin emphasized that Chase Elliott’s talent has not vanished. While talking about the racer’s performance, he explained that different car models, tire configurations, and tracks suit certain people’s natural tendencies of driving. However, he added that there was a possibility that the new car might not suit Elliott as much as the old one.

During his conversation, Gustafson acknowledged the long drought Elliott has been going through with the new cars. However, he also emphasized that the #9 driver still managed to steal five wins with the new equipment. “I mean what [did] we win? Five I guess? So, it’s not like he hasn’t been successful. I mean there are a lot of good drivers who would have a good career with six wins, right?”

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Furthermore, he added that the only thing the team needs to do is probably get back to the old standards. “So, I just think that the old car…yeah we were really good and really in a position to win a lot. So, we just have to get back to that standard. And really in 2022 we had it and lost a little bit.”

It seems Gustafson hasn’t lost confidence in the 2020 champion at all. However, it’s not wrong to say that perhaps the lackluster form Elliott had to endure for the majority of 2023, left him downcast at times. So, naturally, keeping him motivated was paramount which the spotter further talked about.

Alan Gustafson reveals how he kept Chase Elliott motivated despite the worrying downfall

While Alan Gustafson acknowledged the frustration of a winless streak, he emphasized that Chase Elliott had managed to bag some strong finishes before his snowboarding accident last season. When asked how the veteran spotter managed to support Elliott to keep going, Gustafson replied, “I think you just got to trust the process, trust in each other, focus on improving, not getting caught up in what you don’t have, and focus on what you do have.”

Furthermore, he pointed out that Hendrick Motorsports has everything it needs to win and thanked the team owner and members for their relentless support. Revealing how resilience is the key, Gustafson added, “We have a great race team. This is a really good race team. Great pit crew. And we just knew, yeah, you just had to stay committed to that and each other, and that’s all I do. It’s not anything special besides just being super super stubborn and resilient.”

Although the Next Gen car has presented the HMS driver with challenges, it seems like under the guidance of Gustafson, Elliott is ready to be back on track. After snapping a 42-race winless streak, Elliott fans are eager to see their favorite driver reclaim his place among NASCAR’s elite.