Chase Elliott’s win Saturday night in Atlanta was the 20th of his career. But unlike most of the previous 19, which have been subdued by NASCAR standards and more befitting of Elliott’s relatively quiet personality, Saturday’s triumph at EchoPark Speedway (formerly Atlanta Motor Speedway) was much more animated and emotional.
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On Sunday’s NASCAR: After the Race LIVE podcast, co-hosts Steve Letarte and Todd Gordon, along with guest Kyle Petty, pointed out just how much the win — which broke a 44-race winless streak, the longest of his career — meant to Elliott, almost as if it was the first of his career rather than the 20th.
“When they got (to Victory Lane), Chase waved him (crew chief Alan Gustafson) over, (Chase) got him around the car, came over and gave him a hug,” Gordon said. “I thought you saw the real side of Chase, embracing everybody, hugging him, giving him a high five, taking the time to do that.”
Elliott gives credit where it’s due: To crew chief Alan Gustafson
Saturday’s win was big not only for Elliott, but also for Gustafson. Unless they’ve lived under a rock the last year or so, surely they’ve heard the whispers and rumors of being on the hot seat of potentially being replaced by Hendrick Motorsports if the winless streak continued.
“Keep in mind, there’s been so much scrutiny on this nine car and Chase Elliott,” Gordon said. “You look at his overall speed for the year, he’s seventh in speed, he was fourth in points or fifth in points coming into this race, he’s second in points right now.
“You insert any other driver’s name here and there’s not the scrutiny and speculation about ‘we need to make a change’ with the runs that they’ve had. But that’s what they’re under, that’s part of why you’ve got that Bill Belichick kind of persona. But you got to see that kind of removed here with a spectacular win and we got to see kind of ten-tenths of Chase Elliott. That is the real guy.”
Now that Elliott’s place in the NASCAR Cup playoffs is assured with Saturday’s win, what type of racing will we see from the driver of the No. 9 going forward?
“Where’s the 9 going from here? That’s the million-dollar question for me,” Letarte said. “44-race winless streak broken, they have yet to run outside the top 20 all year long. They are super consistent.
“I love consistency, but does the win and the berth in the playoffs allow them to be a little more freewheeling? Does that make them more dangerous to win? I’m not sure. Where do they go?”
The pressure is off Elliott now
Gordon had a good response to Letarte’s question. “I think it does make them [stronger]. You saw the kind of offload of emotion from Chase Elliott,” he said.
“He wasn’t that same kind of stoic, rigid person that we’ve interviewed. We saw him like really be emotional — and for Chase Elliott, that’s emotional.
“I think this is great for them, this removes that pressure, that kind of undertone of, ‘When are we going to make a change?’ which is stupid. (They’ve had the) best average finish of anybody. They’ve been good, not great. They put on a great show here.”
Elliott now has back-to-back races on the street race at Chicago (one top-five in two starts there) this Sunday, and the following week on the road course at Sonoma (four top-fives and six top-10s in eight starts). Known for his road course prowess, he could earn wins at one or both.
“The Gen 6 car was astronomically great in road courses,” Gordon said. “He’s been good in the Next Gen car and I think there’s an opportunity for them to rattle off another win or two.”
Petty also gave his two cents. “To bring everybody in and to hug the crew, that camaraderie that we’ve been through the fire and here we are, we’re coming out of the fire right now,” he said. “That was a big moment, but those two — the position of a first win at a big series, at a top level series, and your 20th and to still have that excitement — is big.”
Where does Elliott go from here?
Petty’s comment in a way led to Letarte playing Devil’s Advocate about where Elliott goes from here. After all, Saturday night was just one win. 18 races, including the 10-race playoffs, still remain on the schedule.
And even though Elliott is now finally in the playoffs, there’s no guarantee that he’ll get through the first, second or even third round of the playoffs to qualify for the Championship Four title-deciding round.
“Chase Elliott’s average finish in 2025 is 10.2,” Letarte said. “That’s two spots better than any other driver. The conversation (all season long) was when is he going to win?
“Look, I’m not ready to hand him five more trophies, but I will say what’s the quote, ‘Sometimes you need to keep a guy down, keep a guy pinned,’ like where does this go from here?
“I don’t know, maybe nowhere. It wouldn’t shock me if it goes nowhere, it wouldn’t shock me if they win three of the next five. I just think the car and the team is close enough.”
Where Chase Elliott goes from here is still unknown — but for now, at least, he’s racing without the weight of doubt.
