Since winning the Cup Series title in 2020, Chase Elliott has not exactly been setting the stage alight. However, the drop-off was not as drastic as one would fear, because he was in the Top 4 for two consecutive seasons. 2023 was when everything changed dramatically, as Elliott failed to make the Playoffs for the first time in his career, and he was winless.

Though he could be slightly forgiven because he missed a bunch of races through injury and a suspension. In 2024, he finally broke his winless streak at the Texas Motor Speedway, but has yet to reach Victory Lane since then. Fourth in the points standings doesn’t exactly paint the full picture of the #9 team, and banking on points isn’t expected from a driver from Hendrick Motorsports. And he knows that.

Elliott was asked about his season’s progress in general, and his answer couldn’t hide the frustration he’s felt so far. “We’ve kinda been all over the board,” he said ahead of the All-Star race. This frustration simmering behind the scenes could soon be a problem for the #9 team according to Kevin Harvick, and nothing but a win will satisfy the team and the driver.

Nothing but a win would do the trick for Chase Elliott and his team

“The few cars that really need to win, are the #9. The #9 car really needs to win, for them to keep their confidence level where they are. I think Chase Elliott has to win, I think that’s the expectation he has, the team has, organization, and Alan has as the crew chief. They’re consistent, finishing races, dotting the eyes,  they’re good on pit road. Doing all the things they need to do, but they’re not winning. If they don’t win soon, that frustration is going to build.” Harvick said this on the Happy Hour podcast.

The winless streak for Elliott has now stretched to 38 races, that more than an entire NASCAR season. And while the points situation looks good for now, the HMS driver doesn’t have a single stage win or playoff bonus point. The likes of Bubba Wallace and Josh Berry are in a better place than him in terms of playoff points and laps led. Even when the team had the chance to clear this obstacle at Kansas Speedway, the pit road debacle completely ruined Elliott’s chance to win his first race of the season. Seeing Kyle Larson and William Byron lead laps and compete for wins is another thing that could weigh on Elliott’s mind if the #9 team doesn’t get the job done. And it looks like they are already making the necessary changes.

Pit crews can often make or break a driver’s race. Unfortunately, Elliott found himself on the bitter end at Kansas. With 14 races left in the regular season, HMS isn’t taking any chances. Justin Haley and Elliott have swapped rear tire changers. Calvin Teague will join the #9 team, and Chad Avrit goes to the #7 team. With the pit crew issues resolved, the driver will now be poised to compete in his next race at Charlotte. He has two runner-up finishes for the Coca-Cola 600, who knows the next race might see him break his winless streak and add a crown jewel win to his name.

However, it’s not just NASCAR’s most popular driver who is in dire need of a win, some big names are not even safe in points scenario.

2025 could be the last year for Kyle Busch at RCR

You know who else needs a NASCAR Cup Series win in 2025? Kyle Busch. Kevin Harvick continued, “The other one is the #8. I think that if Kyle Busch, that doesn’t stabilize, with everything that we’ve talked about with contracts. That could boil over before its all said and done, if there’s not some bright spots pretty quickly.”

The 2-time NASCAR Cup Series champion has been waiting a lot longer than Chase Elliott to win a race. One simply cannot imagine what the veteran driver must be feeling after enduring so much heartbreak. In 2023, he picked up three wins for his new team, Richard Childress Racing. In the process, he broke the record for the most consecutive seasons with at least one Cup Series win.

Sadly, all good things must come to an end, and it all ended in 2024 when he went winless for the first time. Like with Elliott, Kyle Busch did not become a bad driver overnight. He came close to extending that streak in 2024, on a number of occasions. Sadly, it was often never meant to be. To make things worse, Rowdy is in his contract year at RCR, and if things do not turn around for good, we might see him leading the silly season rumors.

The good news for both Elliott and Busch is that as long as NASCAR’s win and you’re in system is in play, they will be hopeful to turn their season around.