After 16 of 36 races in 2025, Chase Elliott is parked fourth in the Cup Series standings. Winless but steady, the No. 9 Hendrick Motorsports Chevy driver nailed a top-20 finish in every race, boasting the third-best average finish. His playoff spot’s nearly locked, barring a flood of new winners. Rating his season, Elliott calls it “good” but admits, “it’s not where I want to be, no doubt.”

Yesterday’s Xfinity race at Pocono showed why he’s hungry for more. In a surprise entry, Elliott piloted the No. 17 Chevy, snagging his first Xfinity pole since 2014. Leading 38 laps, he looked primed for a win, but a restart with 13 laps left went sideways. It has been over a season since he was in the victory lane, and given how consistent and quick William Byron has been this year, he’s questioning himself.

Despite crashing out during the qualifying run and starting at the tail end of the field, the #24 car is making early gains at the Pocono Raceway. Back up car, worst possible starting position or the dirty air, nothing came in Byron’s way to charge up the field and make haste. In stage 1, the HMS driver found himself racing inside the top 20 positions in no time, and this caught Elliott and his team’s attention.

 “William (Byron) is much better than me,” Elliott relayed this message on the team radio. His crew chief, Alan Gustafson, trying to keep him focused on his race, replied, “I don’t know that he is.” With each passing race that the #9 Chevy fails to contend for the race, it takes a hit on the driver’s confidence and only adds to the pressure of matching the strides of his teammates.

The big positive for Chase Elliott and the #9 team is that they have a full race ahead of them and can still make the gains and match the strides of the race leaders.

Stage 1 Pocono update

The green flag waved, and Denny Hamlin surged off Turn 1, grabbing the lead in his No. 11 Toyota. Chris Buescher tucked into second, with Carson Hocevar slotting third early. John Hunter Nemechek wasn’t so lucky, shuffled to 10th after a three-wide scrap went south. By Lap 7, Buescher pressed Hamlin’s bumper, hunting stage points crucial for his playoff push. The 30-lap Stage 1 saw teams eyeing track position, with pit stops looming for most.

William Byron’s charge was the talk of the stage. Starting dead last after wrecking in qualifying, he carved through the field, hitting 19th by Lap 15. His No. 24 Chevy’s pace turned heads, especially Elliott’s, who watched his teammate’s climb while battling in the top 10.

Bubba Wallace and Josh Berry, also starting at the rear due to qualifying woes, reached 30th and 29th, respectively. Ryan Blaney, meanwhile, slipped four spots to 24th. Carson Hocevar hit trouble by Lap 20, reporting a loose car in Turn 3 after brushing the wall, dropping to fourth.

Denny Hamlin held firm, fending off Buescher to bag Stage 1’s win. The top four—Hamlin, Buescher, Tyler Reddick, and Chase Briscoe have stayed out, while others pitted for position.

Chase Elliott crossed the line eighth, a solid run but overshadowed by Byron’s surge to ninth from the back. The HMS duo’s battle within the race, with Byron’s fearless climb and Elliott’s steady grip, sets the stage for a tense showdown as Pocono’s 160 laps unfold.