NASCAR Preview: Why Chase Elliott Is Best-Placed to Get Landmark Martinsville Win for HMS

The importance of Sunday’s race in Martinsville cannot be overstated for Hendrick Motorsports. The team has chosen the site of their first-ever Cup Series victory to celebrate their 40th anniversary in the sport and put quite the pressure on Rick Hendrick’s four-driver line-up to grab the victory flag. Among the men who’ll be under the magnifying glass on race day is Chase Elliott.

The #9 Chevrolet Camaro driver hasn’t won a race in 41 weekends and is in a corner to change his fortunes around. He hasn’t yet had a bad race this season, but the winless streak is undoubtedly a painful thorn in his seat. Under such a constraint, Martinsville comes as a ray of hope to him for the 0.526-mile short track is one of his better arenas.

Elliott has led the second-most laps at Martinsville in the Next-Gen car. It is also the one track where he has led more than a thousand laps (1,004 laps led). It is where he made his Cup Series debut back in 2015 and won in 2020 to propel himself into the Championship 4. Over his 17 starts on it, he has 1 win, 5 top-fives, and 10 top-tens.

To his advantage, Elliott also has momentum riding on his side. Both of his top-ten finishes this season have come on short tracks, and he has 8 top-tens in his last ten starts on short tracks. Moreover, Alan Gustafson – his crew chief – has won three races from the Martinsville pit box and will serve the current purpose well.

Hendrick Motorsports prepares for a landmark race at Martinsville

Talking about his contribution to the legacy of Hendrick Motorsports in Martinsville, Elliott expressed his pride. He said, “I’m proud to have contributed in a very small way in comparison to guys like Jimmie (Johnson) and Jeff (Gordon). I’m proud to have been a part of this family for a long time. It has been a fun ride thus far. I’m proud to have been a small piece of it, but a piece of it nonetheless.”

Elliott and his teammates will be driving cars painted in a ruby red scheme to signify unity and legacy. Only a victory on Sunday can make the already special occasion one to remember for ages to come. And that largely depends on Elliott and his #9 team.