Everyone was sort of taken aback after Chase Elliott won at the Texas Motor Speedway last month. And no, it was not because he snapped his long winless streak. Sure, the win was not easy, given how treacherous the mile-and-a-half racing surface is. However, during the race, the biggest difference many of us noticed was how unforgiving the HMS star was towards his opposition.
It was an elbows-out tactic from the driver of the No. 9 team in fending off a late charge by Denny Hamlin. This caught everyone’s attention because of how aggressive he was with his racing style. It’s not that he didn’t have this aggression before, but rather that there were particular times when he unleashed it. Elliott himself discussed this in an interview with Kevin Harvick on the latest episode of the “Happy Hour” podcast.
Nothing new about Chase Elliott’s combative racing in his Texas win
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Interestingly, Elliott has been resorting to similar tactics in his previous attempts. Just because his team didn’t get the desired result or the finish, his antics weren’t out in the public eye. Moreover, in his explanation, he further delved into how he has to pick and choose in the instances where he resorts to such tactics. And how it can make or break a driver’s day, especially at a venue like Texas.
Having led the charge of the field during the race and been presented with an opportunity to defend his lead, he decided to go all-in. And he knew the risk-reward factor involved in blocking the charge from Hamlin. “I just think that aggression has been there previously, maybe just on days where we just haven’t run as good or you might necessarily notice it. Obviously, for me, I’m in the seat firsthand, so I see stuff that might not catch on TV or if you’re not in front couple of rows.”
He also added how the parity racing with the Next Gen car is only forcing the drivers to compete right on the edge, where the aggression results in favorable results or a race-ending catastrophe. “Nowadays, with the way this thing races, you just almost have to live on that side of the fence more often than not, or you’re just going to totally get taken advantage of. So a little bit of each of those things but nowadays you have to be willing to take some more risks if you want to be up in the front few rows.”
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One of the key highlights of the remarkable comeback was how the No. 9 HMS team pushed through against the odds. More importantly, they stuck by each other to endure the difficult times in hopes of turning the tides back in their favor.
Elliott and his team stood the test of time
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Driver-crew chief relationships are vital for the race team to thrive and succeed in a competitive sport like NASCAR. However, given the winless run, there were bound to be questions or speculations of friction inside the team. But in the case of Elliott and his crew chief Alan Gustafson, they didn’t allow the pressure of the press and media to deviate them from their goals. Rather they came out strong as a team unit with consistent runs and finally a win at Texas.
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We have seen many teams like RCR change their pit crew members and chiefs in desperate attempts to get the desired results. However, Elliott trusted in the abilities of Gustafson and decided to work things out in the face of adversities. Explaining his equation with his crew chief, he added, “He’s not a guy that makes a lot of noise in media or on the internet. And, that’s one thing I love about him. He’s just head down and focused, doing his job… He knows that when I shut that media center door and come into his office, we’re going to work on things that are going to make us faster ultimately.”
Last weekend, Elliott once again maintained his consistent run of performances this season and registered his fourth top 5 finish. Therefore, going into the Kansas race, the driver is once again expected to follow suit and also contest for the win.
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