NASCAR is no stranger to drivers who run at the front every week, yet somehow never reach Victory Lane. But few exemplify that better than Jeff Burton. Before his first Cup win in the 1997 Interstate Batteries 500 at Texas, Burton endured 0 wins over nearly 140 starts, despite consistently strong performances. This season, Chase Elliott, steady as ever in the No. 9 Hendrick Chevrolet, carried a 44-race winless streak into Atlanta, dating back to his last triumph on April 14, 2024, at Texas.

Still, with 16 top-20s in 16 starts, a perfect top-20 record, fourth place in the standings, and just 37 points behind teammate William Byron, Elliott’s first Atlanta checkered flag didn’t just end a drought. It silenced the skeptics and underscored his readiness for a championship run. Here’s how he did it, and why his simple creed might matter more than the wins themselves.

Chase Elliott’s six-word mantra and the power of the pit wall

Jeff Gluck teed it up in his 12 Questions series. “You still haven’t finished outside the top 20 this season. How are you doing this?” Before his Atlanta breakthrough, Elliott answered, “There’s a certain component in being able to make a bad day all right that really matters as it pertains to being a real contender.” He’s lived that creed. At Darlington on April 6, he rebounded from mid-pack traffic to finish 8th despite logging zero laps led.

Three weeks earlier at Martinsville (March 30), Elliott recovered from fading late-run pace to finish 4th after leading 42 laps, no penalty, just clean execution. Those salvaged top 10s prove, as he said, that the “really good team behind the wall, over the wall, and before we get to the racetrack” keeps him in the hunt even on off days. Pit road continues to be a key strength for Elliott’s No. 9 team. In 2022, during the Next-Gen car era, NASCAR data recognized the No. 9 pit crew as the fourth-fastest in average four-tire stop time, clocking 11.76 seconds.

While current year statistics aren’t fully disclosed, Race Hub and team communications consistently spotlight the crew’s tight, error-free stops. That consistency was again evident in Atlanta, where smooth pit work under green-flag conditions helped Elliott make critical gains and execute his final-lap charge. His mantra, “All that stuff ends up making a difference,” rings true in how those seamless stops fuel his on-track performance.

Atlanta was the payoff. Starting the final 10-lap run in 8th, Elliott used a two-car Hendrick draft with Alex Bowman and a perfectly timed lane change to pass Brad Keselowski on the last lap, snapping his 44-race drought. No late pit stop, just driver execution and team strategy in real time, exactly the “make a bad day all right” philosophy Gluck had asked about.

While that’s that, as NASCAR heads to the next race, the 29-year-old faces a significant threat.

Van Gisbergen vs. Elliott, road course edge

As NASCAR heads to Chicago’s twisty street circuit, the duel will be consistency versus raw road-course horsepower. Shane van Gisbergen burst onto the NASCAR scene by winning the 2023 Chicago Street Race, where today’s champion, Chase Elliott, grabbed third place. Looking purely at road-course trends, Elliott actually edges SVG. Elliott boasts an 8.8 average finish, slightly ahead of van Gisbergen’s 10.9 across their respective road-course appearances.

“A lot of areas have trouble, and that’s why Shane is so good. His technique is really good, and he has a lot of experience on these street courses from his V8 days,” observed teammate Ryan Blaney. Highlighting SVG’s Supercars background and marquee wins at Bathurst and Adelaide for honing street-racing skills.

Still, Elliott’s approach to road courses has been methodical. With multiple top 10s this season, he leans on clean racing and strategic execution over aggressive street-speed flair. In contrast, van Gisbergen has two Cup road-course victories (Chicago 2023, Mexico City 2025) since joining full-time. An impressive record, but with fewer starts. Who do you think will win this?