While Denny Hamlin’s title hopes dominated the headlines in 2025, Chase Elliott was quietly mounting the comeback that should have his rivals worried for 2026. His long-term partnership with Rick Hendrick has paid dividends. 21 wins in the past decade with the 2020 Cup Series championship, and a consistent performance from the 30-year-old has made him one of the favorites at Hendrick Motorsports. But it is understood that he needs to be better than just consistent to have another shot at the title, though his performances in 2025 promise just that.

Can Chase Elliott be the best Hendrick driver in 2026?

In an unexpected turn of events, Kyle Larson managed to clinch the Cup Series championship from Denny Hamlin on the final lap in Phoenix. This was his second title victory, the first since 2021. But that does raise the question: can his teammate surge past him next year?

Elliott enjoyed a solid 2025 season. His two victories in Atlanta and Kansas showed the makings of a top driver, and these victories also showed how much he had improved compared to the past few seasons.

This was the first time since 2022 that he managed to win multiple races in a season, further logging 100 top-5s and overall 19 top-10 finishes. Similar to the other Hendrick drivers, he also reached the playoffs, proving that he has the car to deliver the organization another championship.

More importantly, his wins weren’t flukes but rather the outcome of his good form. Although he didn’t have the best start, he improved in most races, managing a 12.61 average finish.

“The way I’ve kind of progressed through the playoffs this year is just to fight as hard as I can each week, try to earn myself and our team three more weeks, and you never know what can happen in three weeks,” he said about his playoffs earlier in the season.

Considering all of these factors, Chase Elliott has a strong chance of battling for the title in the upcoming season.

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Who are the potential rivals that Elliott can face in 2026?

While Chase Elliott will have the rest of the field to contend with, realistically, he has proven himself to be better than half of the other drivers through his eighth-place finish in 2024.

However, there are a few drivers that he will have to clear off next year, who can also give him quite a challenge. To start, there’s the entire Hendrick Motorsports lineup. Elliott was only the third-best in the team, while Larson and William Byron took the definitive lead.

Apart from his team, Denny Hamlin will likely be a major obstacle for him, considering he is also expected to deliver a strong performance after losing the title this year.

Apart from these three, Ryan Blaney could also be a potential hurdle for Chase Elliott in 2026. What’s for certain is that a tricky season awaits. There are multiple drivers expected to be at the top of their game as the Cup Series kicks off in Daytona next year. However, Elliott’s performance this year promises to keep him within the top in 2026 as well.