Hendrick Motorsports driver Chase Elliott has been a prominent figure during the 2024 NASCAR Cup Series season so far. He has 11 top-10 finishes in 22 races and has finished outside the top 20 just once. His average finish rate is a league-high 10.5, which proves his rather under-the-radar performances of late. What makes these numbers seem more impressive is the fact that they were nowhere near this mark a year back.
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✌🏼out Indy. P10 at the Brickyard. See y’all in a few weeks 😴 pic.twitter.com/UghbLTKVZU
— Chase Elliott (@chaseelliott) July 22, 2024
Elliott had his worst full-time Cup Series season in 2023. He missed seven races due to injury and suspension, and couldn’t find his form when he returned. He ended up facing a 42-race winless drought and dipped to new professional lows. His average finish rate was just 13.1. But 2024 has proven to be a stark turnaround from those dark days.
He won a race in Texas earlier this year and has stayed consistent with his performances. This has put him second on the points table, only ten points behind teammate Kyle Larson. He is bound to be a viable threat when the playoffs begin after the four races that are left in the regular season are done. But he has a major task to do before then.
Can Elliott win the 2024 regular season championship?
The battle for the regular season championship has been a cat-and-mouse game between Larson and Elliott for a large part of the season. The latest race at Indianapolis saw the former take the lead. The #5 Chevrolet driver won the race while Elliott came in tenth place. The upcoming races will decide who amongst them prevails and wins the 15 playoff points that the mid-season titles provides.
But the battle isn’t just between the Hendrick teammates. Tyler Reddick and Denny Hamlin aren’t far off from the top. Elliott will have to be at his absolute best to get the better of his contenders. He told reporters before last Sunday’s race, “There’s still a lot of racing left. It’s kind of how I look at it. A lot can happen in that period of time. I think It’s going to force all of us to be really good.”
“You’re going to have to be really solid and you’re probably going to have to win a race or two between now and the end of it to have a legitimate chance without other guys having problems.” These words ascertain that the former champion is well aware of what he needs to do between now and September. The mission will begin at Richmond after the Olympic break.
