Hendrick Motorsports star Chase Elliott has been silently creating history by being the champion of consistency this season. With the fourth-place finish in Sonoma last Sunday, he joined an elite list of NASCAR stars who have started a NASCAR season with at least 16 consecutive top-20 finishes. By far, only seven drivers in history have achieved this feat.
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Amongst them are legends like Dale Earnhardt (1987), Bill Elliott (1988), and Kevin Harvick (2016). Elliott currently sits second on the points table next to teammate Kyle Larson despite having two fewer wins. His single victory this year came at the Texas Motor Speedway when he also snapped his 42-race winless streak. His stats prove that consistency remains a key to having a good Cup Series season.
Nine drivers have led more laps this year than Elliott, who has led 136 laps. While he is not the winningest driver nor the one with the highest number of top-5s or top-10s, he has stayed afloat at the front end of the field and completed all but one lap (He finished a lap down in Bristol). With his playoff spot fixed and just 14 points behind Larson in the standings, he appears steadfast in his journey to Phoenix.
Elliott was satisfied with his most recent outing to Northern California’s Wine Country. Nevertheless, he reiterated to the press that he will try to match race winner Larson’s pace next week in Iowa. He has enough experience driving at the track as an Xfinity driver. The familiarity ought to aid him secure another top result at the Hawkeye State.
Other drivers who have started their seasons with over 16 top-20 finishes
The legendary Dale Earnhardt Sr.’s 1987 season was one to remember. He kicked it off with a staggering 22 top-20 finishes with the best finish of a victory and the worst of 20th place. One of his seven championships came at the end of the season. Bill Elliott is also on the list and is so in some style. The icon finished an entire season (1988) of 29 races inside the top 20, the only driver to do so.
Ricky Rudd almost equaled Bill Elliott’s feat in 1991 when he finished inside the mark in 25 consecutive races. It took well over a decade before another driver, Jeff Burton, would start a season the way these icons did. Burton went 17 races inside the top 20 and was followed up by Harvick in 2016 when he went so in 16 races. Lee Petty (1959) and Buddy Arrington (1982) are the two other drivers who hold the honor.
