Chase Elliott boasts a strong reputation as one of the best road course racers of the current generation. He has secured seven victories so far on the track type. Heading to the Circuit of the Americas this weekend for the next Cup Series race, he could match Tony Stewart for the second-most victories at road courses with eight wins, next only to Jeff Gordon, who has nine.
Advertisement
Does this mean Elliott is on the same level as Stewart and Gordon, two of the greatest drivers in the history of NASCAR? Despite the No. 9 driver’s boundless fame and popularity, not every fan thinks so. NASCAR reminded the community of Elliott’s imminent record on its X handle recently and got a lot of unexpected responses.
The core and common point across all of them was that Stewart and Gordon collected their wins when there were only two road course races per year on the calendar. Today, there are five road course races every year, making it far easier to secure more victories. One fan wrote, “Gordon and Stewart did it when there was only 2 a year for a long time.”
Another added, “Look, I’m a huge Elliott fan, but Gordon and Stewart had 2 road course races a year and today we have what, 6? It’s not exactly an apples to apples comparison lol. We’ve had more road course races in 4 years than they had in over a decade!” There is no scope for disagreement on this front.
Look, I’m a huge Elliott fan, but Gordon and Stewart had 2 road course races a year and today we have what, 6? It’s not exactly an apples to apples comparison lol. We’ve had more road course races in 4 years than they had in over a decade!
— Matt (@MattRacing249) February 28, 2025
One more fan said, “incredible that Tony and Jeff did that with only 2 road courses on the schedule for their whole careers.” Sonoma Raceway and Watkins Glen International were the two tracks that were prevalently visited when Stewart and Gordon raced. Venues like COTA and Charlotte Roval are recent additions.
Jeff Gordon’s astounding road course dominance from 1997 to 2000
The undisputed king when it comes to road course racing is the four-time Cup Series champion, Jeff Gordon. He is a native of Vallejo, California, a city just 13 miles from the Sonoma Raceway. From 1997 to 2000, Gordon won six consecutive road course races. Three were in Sonoma, and three were in Watkins Glen.
Imagine going to a race already aware that you didn’t stand a chance to reach Victory Lane. That’s what his competitors had to deal with every time they traveled to race on a road course in those years. In 2004 and 2006, Gordon won at Sonoma again and brought his total record to eight wins. All the success came from behind the wheel of the No. 24 Chevrolet.
