Chase Elliott‘s dry spell is starting to turn heads in the NASCAR world this 2024. Although it’s not topping the headlines just yet, it is definitely raising eyebrows, considering he is 2023’s most popular driver who hasn’t seen victory lane in 38 races, stretching over three seasons. Sure, he kicked off this year with a bang, winning Stage 1 win at the Daytona 500, but that’s as good as it has gotten for him since. Elliott’s last time on top was at Talladega in October 2022. Since then, it’s been one thing after another – an injury, a suspension, and a slump in performance – all adding up to this winless run. And get this, according to a recent tweet, he’s now matched a personal record that he would like to forget soon.

Chase Elliott has tied with his disappointing 2016 stretch

Chase Elliott’s been hitting some rough patches lately, with just three finishes in the top 15 but none in the top 10 over the season’s first four races. While driving the #9 Chevy, he’s not sweating bullets yet since a couple of those races were on superspeedways and another on an intermediate track. But, to worsen the situation even more is the fact that he’s hit a bit of a rough milestone that he’d rather not have on his resume.

Trey Ryan, also known as NASCAR’s ‘stat guy’, pointed out that Elliott has now gone 8 races without a top-10 finish, tying the longest dry spell of his Cup Series career since 2016. Besides that, he’s also found himself on a less-than-desirable list, marking the 10th-longest winless streak currently running in NASCAR’s top series.

After the dust settled in Phoenix, Elliott finds himself sitting at P9 in the standings, trailing leader Ryan Blaney by 28 points. But with Bristol Motor Speedway up next, Elliott might just turn things around. He’s no stranger to leading laps there, with 439 under his belt – his third-highest at any track. Plus, he’s been solid on short tracks lately, bagging top-10 finishes in six of the last eight races, including back-to-back top-10s at Bristol, known to fans as “The Last Great Colosseum.”

Furthermore, considering the whole Hendrick Motorsports team, it is just three laps shy of hitting a huge milestone – leading 80,000 laps in the Cup Series. Bristol is a lucky track for the team, ranking third with HMS leading 6,404 laps there. Chase Elliott could be the guy to hit that mark for the team, and what a confidence booster that would be!

We are optimistic about that because – Chase Elliott is the top dog among active drivers when it comes to starting and finishing positions at Bristol. He’s got the best average of anyone hitting the track. So, if anyone’s going to lead Hendrick Motorsports into the record books at Bristol, it’s looking like Chase Elliott is their man.

#9 is ahead of all the active drivers who are going to participate in the Bristol race

Chase Elliott might not have taken the checkered flag at Bristol yet, apart from winning the 2020 All-Star Race, but when it comes to getting off the line and crossing the finish, he’s the top gun among the drivers hitting the track this weekend. And that in itself speaks volumes.

He’s been in a bit of a rough patch, not cracking the top-5 in the last 14 races, but Bristol’s been kind to him before. He’s landed in the top 5 four times out of 13 races there and finished a spot in the top 10 three more times. On top of that, Elliott’s almost always starting at the front of the pack, missing the top 10 in qualifying just three times.

Read More: Chase Elliott Publicly Rubbishes “Spent” Narrative as He Uncovers Contrasting Truth Surrounding Grim Appearances

Safe to say, he is the king of starting positions among active drivers with an impressive average of 7.846, leaving heavy hitters like Joey Logano, Ryan Blaney, and Brad Keselowski in his dust. When the slightly tweaked Goodyear tires hit the concrete at Bristol, it’ll be time to see who crosses the finish line when Elliott is still the man to beat with an average finish of 11.923. That’s just shy of cracking the top 10, and his teammate Kyle Larson is hot on his heels for that spot.

Despite recent races not going as hoped, Elliott’s ride’s got the zip, and his pit crew’s on point. The team’s sticking together through thick and thin, banking on the fact that with a bit of grit and a positive vibe, they’ll turn those near-misses into wins.