“If you’re not achieving what you want to achieve, then you know you’ve got to go to work.” Jeff Gordon, Hendrick Motorsports vice chairman, said these words about Chase Elliott in late March. It is mid-June right now, and the 2020 Cup Series Champion is yet to end his winless streak. So, the No. 9 Chevrolet team is going to work, and Elliott is picking up more opportunities to hone his wheeling skills.

This past weekend in Mexico City, Chase Elliott showcased his sublime road course racing skills. He brought home the No. 9 car in a solid third-place finish, keeping his streak of top-20 finishes intact for the season. Now, he intends to keep that glorious note alive as NASCAR heads to Pocono Raceway, enrolling for a double-duty weekend as he chases some playoff security.

Chase Elliott expands his 2025 pursuit

Well, Shane Van Gisbergen just became the 10th Cup Series driver to clinch a playoff spot. If the alarm bells aren’t ringing yet, they are probably should be for Chase Elliott right now. The HMS star has a solid streak of consistent finishes in the 2025 Cup Series season so far, picking up 8 top tens and 4 top fives. However, having zero wins and just 95 laps led in 16 races of the season is concerning for a former champion, so he decided to step up his schedule.

Initially, Elliott was only scheduled to compete in April’s Xfinity event at Darlington Raceway, where he started second and finished 8th. Now, a second Xfinity Series event is on his radar at the Tricky Triangle. According to an X post by Racing America, “🚗 Double Duty at the Tricky Triangle! @chaseelliott is back behind the wheel of the @TeamHendrick No. 17 Chevy for Saturday’s NASCAR Xfinity Series Explore the Pocono Mountains 250.”

Since Hendrick Motorsports revived its NASCAR Xfinity Series program in 2022, Chase Elliott has made four starts. All of those involve top-five finishes – third (Pocono 2023), first (Charlotte 2024), fourth (Darlington 2024), and second (Darlington 2025), so he can be quietly optimistic about his chances. However, Elliott’s decision to run double duty at Pocono should come as no surprise.

The HMS #9 is the sport’s most popular driver, yet he has not been anywhere near the checkered flag consistently. The #9 is often running 10th-15th, giving a late push for a top-10 or settling above the bottom 20. In contrast, his HMS teammates, William Byron and Kyle Larson, are sitting 1-2 in the standings. This is not a good look for Chase, especially considering the growing talk about who HMS’ fourth driver’ is, with Elliott’s name being brought up more often than he would probably like.

Double duty at Pocono will not only act as an extra practice session, but a win in the second tier could do wonders for his confidence, considering the last time he visited victory lane in any race was at the Clash at Bowman Gray. However, entering the #17 comes with its fair share of pressure. And once again, that pressure comes from his HMS teammates!

In nine NASCAR Xfinity Series starts this year, the No. 17 Xfinity car has recorded a pair of victories — Kyle Larson at Bristol and William Byron at Charlotte — and six top-five finishes. Corey Day, in his first three starts, has a best finish of 11th at Nashville. Elliott’s fortunes do not seem to be bleak at the Tricky Triangle either, as he owns four top fives and ten top tens. He also won in 2022, a victory which came after winner Denny Hamlin and runner-up Kyle Busch were disqualified.

Chase Elliott has all the more reason to prove a point in Pocono this year. That is because of the beef he had with NASCAR in 2024.

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Looking forward to retaining his fortune

Chase Elliott may be far off from a playoff spot at present, with a slew of mishaps clouding his race finishes. For instance, a pit stop miscue by his team derailed possible chances to win at Kansas Speedway. But his racing skills are indubitable. To date, the No. 9 HMS driver remains the only Cup Series competitor to have collected a continuous streak of top 20 finishes. This is a personal goal that Elliott has challenged himself with even last year. In 2024, Elliott finished inside the top 20 consistently until the first week of July. A miscue on the final lap of the Chicago Street Race dropped him to 21st place. He moved further away from his streak at Pocono, where NASCAR had slapped him with a penalty.

Chase Elliott’s infraction involved speeding on pit road and incorrectly merging onto the racetrack, violating NASCAR’s blend line rules. NASCAR had apparently sent out a sheet dictating the rules, and Elliott fumed on the radio: “I mean, what the f—. They sent out the f—ing sheet, and I did exactly what it said to do.”

Later, Elliott insisted on his innocence here: “I don’t really think he should have been fined. I mean, I understand, I get it, but man, you’re getting in the weeds with some of that stuff.” His crew chief, Alan Gustafson, also scratched his head in confusion: “That zone was way off from the get-go. It’s been way off. You know, you’re just flying blind on it. It’s been wrong, so just don’t focus on it. Unfortunately, they didn’t admit their own fault there.”

Hence, you can watch out for Chase Elliott being extra cautious about violating NASCAR’s rules in Pocono this year. As he prepares for a double-duty weekend, we can only expect a stream of magic from his end.