3rd at Chicago, 13th at Atlanta, 12th at New Hampshire—Chase Elliott knows how to just skim the base without actually touching it. Since the beginning of the Cup Series season, Elliott fans have been looking forward to his first victory. Sadly, it hasn’t occurred yet. Granted, his injury has led him to miss out on some of the races, but, with just 6 races remaining till the playoffs, it is natural for Hendrick Motorsports fans to get a bit antsy. 

HMS Vice Chairman and former racer Jeff Gordon has made it a promise to keep undying faith in Elliott and Bowman. In the latest episode of the MRN NASCAR Live podcast, Gordon resorted to honesty about how HMS is dealing with the pressure amidst Elliott’s disappointing performance. 

Gordon insists on building a relationship with his team

Jeff Gordon came clean about what goes on in the mind of a racing team or a driver amidst such consistently disappointing performance. 

“Well from my own experience, it is difficult when you see your teammates who are performing and are getting the results. You look deep inside yourself and deep inside the team. You say, “What am I missing, what are we missing?’ And it’s easy to find yourself get in a place where you can’t get out of it,” reflects Gordon.

It is up to the driver to keep their head up and keep grinding and not think of themselves as the weakest player. From his experience as a former HMS driver, he has some golden advice for the younger drivers in his team.

“And I felt like that as a driver, at times, it is okay to think, ‘I’m gonna spend more time with the engineers, more time at the simulator, more time trying to understand the setups and the race track and study the notes and build a relationship, go to dinner with these guys, have breakfast, lunch, whatever it takes.’

“And if you have a strong enough bond in the team, you’ll find what you’re looking for. Especially at a place like Hendrick Motorsports,” guaranteed the 4-time NASCAR Cup Series Champion.

It is evident that Jeff Gordon has gone through what Elliott is going through at the moment, and hence, his optimism comes from a place of relativity. It is perhaps because of Elliott’s overwhelming fame that the pressure building is greater. 

Jeff Gordon Reminds Frustrated Chase Elliott Fans of HMS’ Commitment & Sets the Bar Much Higher

“I mean Chase is the most popular driver. He has a very avid and loyal fanbase that’s also very welcome. We’ve seen this with Dale (Earnhardt) Jr in the past as well and we dealt with that here a little bit at Hendrick too with Dale,” explained Gordon.

Gordon drew a line between what goes on the inside and the outside 

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One of the things that Jeff Gordon prioritized in his team is keeping the team’s internal functioning completely separate from what happens on the outside. How a team function is on one side, and what outsiders opine is on the other side. Not letting the critiques’ sharp tongues and brutal opinions affect the strength of the team seemed to have alleviated the pressure for HMS a bit. 

“It’s tougher when there are this many critiques and eyeballs out there trying to judge or come up with ‘Here’s what you promised,’ ‘You gotta do this,’ ‘Get rid of this person, go do this.’

“It’s very difficult to deal with but you know what happens on the inside, that’s what Rick Hendrick tells all of us and has for many many years: That you can’t allow anything to tear you down from the outside. You’ve got to stay strong from the inside.”

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Judging from Rick Hendrick’s valuable advice and HMS’s experience in dealing with the ups and downs of extremely famous drivers, fans can safely derive that Chase Elliott is in safe hands. But judging by the lightning-fast pace at which the Playoffs are nearing, can Elliott bounce back on time? Well, that remains to be seen.