Is Las Vegas the Worst NASCAR Track for Chase Elliott?

Since his snowboarding incident from last year, Chase Elliott has not been the same. The Dawsonville native has not been able to regain the winning momentum that once used to be his USP. Over the last few weeks, the #9 driver was able to manage barely a 14th and a 16th-place finish at Daytona and his home track, Atlanta, respectively. And as the third race of the season is right around the corner, he feels like a lot falls on him.

While speaking to the media on Saturday, the Chevy star admitted that his teammates have been really strong at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. However, he confessed, “This has been our worst track I would say, hands down, over the last two years.”

Nevertheless, he did say that the number 9 team has been giving countless hours of effort over the last couple of weeks.

“A lot of emphasis and effort have gone into this weekend and I am hopeful that it pays off…at least to improve from where we’ve been…if we can have a shot to win or running up in the top 5, that would be awesome,” he added.

How has Chase Elliott been in Vegas over the last couple of years?

The last time Chase Elliott came anywhere in the top 5 was in 2021 when he led a single lap and registered a runner-up finish. Since then, he has been able to come up with a ninth-place finish and another 21-place finish at the 1.5-mile oval.

Last year, he crashed out at practice and had to resort to a backup car. But still, the result was a disappointing P32 finish.

But NASCAR is an extremely unpredictable sport and perhaps things could be different this year for the Georgian. When asked how he feels like he can improve his performance at the Nevadan racetrack, Elliott said, “Just how I attack the racetrack, how I drive the car to get it to do the things that it needs to do here more than anything.” All he wants this time is to win or at least come in the top 5.

Will he be able to win? With someone like his own teammate, Kyle Larson, who has a strong record at Las Vegas, competing against him, how easy or difficult will that be?