Chase Elliott broke a 44-race winless streak by capturing his first win of the season on his home track at Atlanta. But while the No. 9 Hendrick Motorsports driver took the checkered flag, he didn’t get there alone. On the final lap, it was teammate Alex Bowman who played the ace, giving Elliott the crucial push that propelled him past Brad Keselowski and into clean air, where he never looked back en route to victory lane.
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Equally instrumental in that success was crew chief Alan Gustafson. Elliott didn’t miss a beat in crediting him during post-race interviews, emphasizing the depth of their longstanding partnership.
Appearing on NASCAR’s The Day After, Elliott described their bond with the precision of someone who’s walked many miles beside his crew chief: “Our relationship is just very seasoned at this point… I think it’s the best way to describe it. He knows me really well. I know him really well.”
He elaborated to Shannon Spake, “We’re very similar in a lot of ways, and just kind of our approach and the way we handle things and us being transparent with one another and holding each other accountable has never been a problem. And we’ve always been able to go in there and have honest meetings and conversations and talk about where our struggles are, where my struggles are.”
Elliott acknowledged they both had made mistakes, and it has been a part of their journey, but pointed out that accountability comes without shouting matches or finger-pointing when Monday morning rolls around; both know exactly what needs to be addressed, no raised voices ever required.
The 2020 Cup champion went on to praise Gustafson’s composed leadership and deep racing acumen, calling him a combination of strategist and trustworthy human being. “He’s a guy that I’m thankful to have in my corner,” Elliott said.
“One of the many people that I’m talking about when I say, ‘Hey, you’ve got somebody good that has a ton of racing knowledge, that’s a great racer but is also equally as good of a person away from the racetrack.’”
For the No. 9 HMS driver, that balance, on the box and off the clock, makes all the difference. With Atlanta in the rearview, Elliott will now shift focus to the streets of Chicago, where he’ll look to keep the momentum rolling.
In two starts at the Chicago Street Course, Elliott holds an average finish of 12.0, with an impressive third-place in the inaugural 2023 event followed by a 21st-place last year. As the Cup Series heads to the Midwest, Elliott will once again aim to be in the thick of it when the checkered flag flies.
