“Chase Elliott wins the regular season championship,” NASCAR analyst Eric Estepp boldly declared at the start of the 2025 NASCAR season. It was first seen as an outlandish prediction by most of the NASCAR community. Elliott had won just one race since 2022, struggled in the 2024 post-season by falling short on a Championship 4 berth to Ryan Blaney at Martinsville, but still, Estepp believed. Now, he’s not sounding that crazy anymore.

After a rocky stretch of injuries, missed championships, and nonstop pressure to prove himself again, Elliott is leading the points battle in 2025. And, it’s not by accident. The #9 driver has put together a quietly consistent season that, if he wins the championship, will be talked about for a very long time.

Chase Elliott’s resurgence in 2025

Chase Elliott’s ascent to NASCAR’s elite was cemented by three straight Championship 4 appearances from 2020 through 2022. Now, this remarkable stretch included his first Cup Series title in 2020 and Regular Series Championship in 2022. During that run, Elliott showcased not just speed but unwavering consistency. He won marquee races and regularly led laps in high-pressure moments. Naturally, Elliott quickly became the face of Hendrick Motorsports and a fixture at the front of the pack.

What made his rise even more impressive was that it came in two different cars. He won 5 races and the Championship in the Gen 6 car, and then 5 more wins in the debut year of the Next-Gen car as he finished 4th in the championship. But then, a snowboarding accident in 2023 forced Chase Elliott to miss several races.

This incident disrupted both his rhythm and championship hopes. The injury put a rare pause in his upward trajectory. It resulted in a season where, for the first time in years, he wasn’t in true title contention. The #9 finished the season with a 17th overall rank. But Chase Elliott returned in 2024 with resilience! He posted the best average finish in the Cup Series (11.7) and led 217 laps in the season’s closing trio. But still, he managed only one race win and fell short of even competing for the ultimate prize. His relentless consistency kept him in the conversation, yet there were lingering questions about translating solid runs into victories.

Now, in 2025, Elliott has become the very definition of dependability: multiple top-five and top-10 finishes, always lurking in the top tier despite not yet finding Victory Lane and not finishing out of the top-20 even once. Thanks to his methodical approach and point-scoring acumen, he now leads the regular season standings after Dover, leapfrogging rival teammates who have been faster but less steady. His average start and finish? 15.5 and 10.82, showcasing his race dependability throughout the season.

Now, with just five races remaining in the regular season, the Hendrick Motorsports #9 suddenly looks like a regular series championship contender. Optimists believe that Elliott’s near-flawless consistency, matured racecraft, and renewed confidence will finally allow him to stay ahead of others at the end of the season. But skeptics continue to wonder.

Elliott is just 16 points ahead of second-place William Byron and just 38 and 39 points ahead of Kyle Larson and Denny Hamlin, respectively. A couple of good results for either driver and a couple of unfortunate ones for Elliott could see that slim lead evaporate overnight. Elliott needs to perform to the best of his capabilities for the remainder of the regular season. If not, the 2025 season, too, can turn out to be another disappointment, but so far, bas finishes are not

With the championship on the line, will consistency alone be enough, or does Chase need that winning edge to reclaim his throne? Will 2025 be another season of “almosts” for Chase Elliott?

Chase Elliott’s grit at Dover propels him to the top

Chase Elliott’s gritty sixth-place finish at Dover stands as a defining checkpoint in the 2025 campaign. While he didn’t find Victory Lane after starting on pole, Elliott led a race-high 238 laps, showing commanding race pace and winning Stage 1 outright. The day, however, was anything but straightforward.

Rain delays led to a constantly shifting strategy, and a pivotal mistake during a Stage 2 pit stop dropped Elliott from contention for the lead. “Couple little hiccups here and there, but had a nice recovery to get back to the lead and didn’t want to see that caution. I was hoping I was settling in for the last run of the day, but it’s part of it. It can change really fast,” Elliott said during the wet weather delay.

Crucially, that resilience paid off as the race pushed through late-stage drama, including scattered showers, red flags, and restarts. Despite a 15-second pit stop issue caused by a jack slip, Elliott and his No. 9 crew regrouped quickly, moving from fourth in Stage 2 back to the front before a series of late-race cautions. “It’s not all sunshine and rainbows all the time, so you just have to deal with whatever comes your way, and we had an issue come our way, and I felt like we’ve dealt with it well,” Elliott reflected after the race.

Elliott left Dover barely holding onto his new role as the regular-season points leader. This is a position he hasn’t occupied since July 2024. With just five races left before the playoffs, Elliott’s 48 points at Dover were the third-highest among all drivers. It was also his ninth finish of sixth or better this year, giving an air of building momentum.

As the field heads to Indianapolis, the question persists: Can Elliott turn these hard-fought, resilient runs into the wins as he’ll need to stay on top when the spotlight burns brightest? Let us know your thoughts on Chase Elliott’s championship chances in the comments!