As NASCAR heads to the Charlotte Motor Speedway for one of its Crown Jewels this weekend, all eyes are on Kyle Larson and his attempt at the Double – racing the Indy 500 and the Coca-Cola 600 on the same day! But did you know his Hendrick Motorsports teammate Chase Elliott is set to participate in his own ‘900 miles’ of high-speed stock car shenanigans? Well, he is, and the Most Popular Driver will have a familiar face by his side.

Gone are the days when Chase Elliott was racing in the Nationwide Series alongside crew chief Greg Ives, becoming the youngest-ever champion. But this weekend will bring back memories of his second-tier triumph with JR Motorsports. With Charlotte hosting his first of two Xfinity outings in the #17 entry, Elliott will have Ives returning as his team leader, overseeing at least 300 of those announced Xfinity miles. For Elliott, this inspires nothing but confidence towards the collective personnel depth benefits inside Hendrick Motorsports.

After stepping down from his role as pit boss of the #48 team in 2022 to help Hendrick Motorsports’ Garage 56 efforts, Ives couldn’t stay away from the thrill of the NASCAR service zones. A year later, he returned as part-time crew chief of the #48 Cup Series and the #17 Xfinity Series entries, set to command 6 of 10 races for Hendrick’s solitary second-tier Camaro in 2024. In a press conference in Charlotte, Chase Elliot emphasized the importance of HMS giving Ives these opportunities that allow him to not only “build the [#17] team but also mentor people who come in different areas of the team, and try to get them Cup-ready for Hendrick,” as a reporter stated.

Elliott explained, “I think it’s extremely important. That’s the biggest piece of doing the #17 car inhouse is it is challenging to make sure that our team members have the proper amount of reps at the racetrack during a practice environment. It goes by really quick – performing to the expectation and to the level that a Cup crew chief expects of their guys.” Laying out the potential for immediate reserves, he provided an alternative perspective on things, too.

“It’s just hard to get those guys reps if they’re new or if we have someone come off the road or personnel change. So, it’s a really good opportunity for Hendrick Motorsports to groom their own people in their own way, have people ready,” he added, even stating an example: “In case a guy misses a weekend, you have somebody that can jump in and has a little bit of experience, knows what to expect and how to execute a proper practice.” That said, Ives already made his 2024 Xfinity debut.

Indy-Charlotte double aspirant Kyle Larson won the #17 team and its owners a debut road course win at COTA with Ives in March, just its second outing of the Xfinity season. The 4 races that didn’t have Ives in charge involved a partnership between William Byron and his #24 team lead engineer, Brandon McSwain, as crew chief. This indirectly points to Ives’ unofficial mentorship role in the recent success of Hendrick Motorsports’ only Xfinity Series Chevrolet.

It is also important to remember that Greg Ives serves as the #48’s relief crew chief in case any hindrances occur on behalf of Blake Harris. Moreover, with the context of mentorship in mind, it will surely serve all teams well to make good use of Ives’ garnered experience, evident through 10 race wins as pit leader, with Bowman claiming 7 of those.

Another first for Rick Hendrick in 2024?

Returning to his former JRM crew chief for the BetMGM 300 Xfinity race, Elliott concluded with all the positives, stating, “I think it’s a really good decision for the company to make sure not just the drivers are getting some extra reps here and there, but it’s also important for the crew members, too.” 

Chase Elliott has won the Truck Series & Cup Series races at Charlotte once each, in his championship-winning year of 2020. Yet, an Xfinity Series win remains unfulfilled on the #9 driver’s extensive resume. With all things considered, Ives’ proven track record alongside Chase Elliott and Hendrick Motorsports could make another 2024-first come to fruition for Mr. Popular.

As for his Coca-Cola 600 fortunes, analysts have Elliott at somewhat favorable +1100 odds for a race win, with even Kevin Harvick picking the #9 for a victory at Charlotte this Sunday. Statistically, Elliott has finished P1 (Texas) and P3 (Kansas) at the two races run on mile-and-a-halfs so far this season.

With the broader spectrum consisting of his current full-time Cup Series crew chief Alan Gustafson safely guiding the #9 team to finishes barely ever below P15 thirteen races into 2024, this weekend looks set to be more of the same and even better for Chase Elliott.