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Chase Elliott’s Crew Chief Hopeful of ‘Deserving Finishes’ Amidst Banking on Refreshed Team Dynamic

Published 03/23/2024, 9:58 AM EDT

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USA Today via Reuters

With the Cup Series season unfolding further, Chase Elliott seems to have found his lost zeal. Moreover, it is not just Elliott himself but also his #9 Chevrolet team. As NASCAR is quintessentially a team sport, it is the complete synergy that gets reflected on the scoreboard and helps the driver park his car in the victory lane. 

So far into the season, Chase Elliott has notched satisfactory finishes, including a top-10 finish in Bristol. However, the former Cup Series champion is still missing out on a victory. However, Elliott’s veteran crew chief Alan Gustafson can see the light at the end of the tunnel and seems to be confident that a victory is on the way.

Chase Elliott’s crew chief is ready to change the tidings of the team in the 2024 season

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There seems to be a storm brewing ahead of Sunday’s race at the Circuit of The Americas. And the eyes remain on two drivers and they are none other than Hendrick Motorsports Chase Elliott and 23XI Racing’s Tyler Reddick. While the Most Popular Driver of the Cup Series has a great record when it comes to road courses, Reddick on the contrary has found success in the Next Gen car which Elliott failed to capitalize upon.

Nevertheless, after his unfortunate 2023 season, Elliott is gradually retracing his steps back to the road that leads to success. Being able to dodge major on-track incidents, Elliott’s crew chief Alan Gustafson is hopeful that the team will be able to turn the tables very soon. Speaking to MRN, the veteran crew chief said, “Yeah, I am really happy with the team and the team dynamic, the energy, the effort that is going into it.”

“I think it is just hard to say that we were great but I think we have done very well there. The pace in the car, speed, in the car has been really good and solid and I am happy with that we did our job. Translating that speed into the finishes that we should deserve or should get, so a lot of ways we have done really well. All we need to translate that performance on and off the race track into better finishes,” Gustafson added.

The Bristol Concrete race was a different ball game for Chase Elliott. The track, which witnessed an alarming amount of tire wear-off, had compelled the teams to rewrite their strategies as it all boiled down to tire management. Despite this, Elliott was able to lead the pack for a handful of laps and eventually come home eighth in the race.

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NAPA unveils a new livery for Chase Elliott’s COTA race

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With the newfound momentum, the golden boy of HMS is ready to contend for the top spot on the turf where he had previously tasted success- the Circuit of The Americas. Moreover, he is ready to achieve this feat in his new slick NAPA livery exclusive for the COTA race.

Against the customary blue-colored NAPA livery, the whole car is wrapped in a milky white vinyl with the car number and the name of the sponsors in blue accents. The livery also includes a yellow hue to highlight the sponsor’s name on the car’s front deck.

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With that being said, it will be interesting to see if the words of Elliott’s crew chief come to fruition. And if Chase will once again park his car in the victory lane or if it will it be a repetition of the past year.

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Written by:

Ayantika Maitra

760Articles

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Ayantika Maitra is a NASCAR Content Analyst at EssentiallySports. Using her affinity for research and storytelling, this English major has also woven some attention-grabbing pieces that have brought the women in NASCAR into the limelight. An expert in identifying trends and understanding audience behavior, she loves taking part in core sport reporting.
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Edited by:

Shreya Singh