It has not been the best start to the season for Chase Elliott as his own teammates outshined him majorly till last weekend. He had limped around the tracks in the last six races and failed to even leave an impact, let alone a podium finish. However, this weekend, at Richmond, fans got to see glimpses of their favorite driver back. With a P5 finish at the Virginia track, it’s like the HMS driver proudly announced to the world that he’s back. Perhaps, the golden boy of NASCAR recognized that it was high time that he unleashed his aggression.

Chase Elliott finally breaks his slump in Richmond

It was a lucky day to be Hendrick Motorsports drivers, especially for Kyle Larson and Chase Elliott. While the #5 Chevrolet driver went on to secure the pole position for the race on Easter Sunday, he was accompanied by his teammate Chase Elliott on the front row starting second.

Apart from the favorable start, the 2023 Most Popular driver also snatched the lead from Larson to lead the pack for the first five laps in the race. Despite losing his lead rather quickly, this was a momentous occasion, as it reportedly marked the first time that the #9 driver has led the first lap of a race since the Daytona 500 in 2022. The racer eventually finished seventh in Stage 1 of the race. However, Stage 2 sang a different story as the driver finished 13th.

Although struggling outside the top 10 in the race’s final stage, Elliott’s green-flag pit stop provided the necessary respite he needed to earn back his position. In the final overtime of the race, the HMS driver started sixth and finished fifth in the race, his sixth top-five finish in Richmond in the last 16 starts. Additionally, the driver’s Richmond result is the first top-5 finish for the driver since his last outing at Daytona during the Regular season finale. 

While Elliott seemed to have regained his lost vitality after his outing in Richmond, it seems that he is set to step his foot on the throttle as NASCAR flies to Martinsville for the next weekend. During a post-race interview at Richmond, the driver dissected his run while pinning his hopes on the next weekend. 

Read More: Kyle Larson Unfazed by Martin Truex Jr’s Uncharacteristic Display After His Frustrating Loss at Richmond

Chase Elliott is gaining his confidence back!

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Since his disaster in the 2023 season, Chase Elliott has yet to find his way back to the victory lane, but it’s better late than never. The driver is steadily finding his footing back on the tracks of NASCAR and the results of Richmond are a testament to that.

Although there is room for development, Elliott seemed to be content with his first top-5 finish in the season. In his post-race interview, the HMS driver expressed, “We found a little pace there those last two runs and we were able to pass a couple of cars under green.”

“We got ourselves in a position there to have a good pit stop there at the end. I stopped a little short in my box. I think we could have been one spot better there off of pit road, but nonetheless, had a good restart and gave ourselves a top five. It was a solid night. Looking forward to getting to Martinsville (Speedway) and trying to be a little better,” the #9 driver further added. 

Also Read: Chase Elliott Not Fully Sold on NASCAR’s Unorthodox Bait of Attracting Newer Fans to the Sport

Despite the heartbreak of missing out on a victory, Chase Elliott had put up a strong performance. Nonetheless, with the next race slated for Martinsville, it will be interesting to see if the driver is able to deliver similar or even better results. Perhaps, a victory lane visit finally?