Who Is Alan Gustafson, Chase Elliott’s NASCAR Crew Chief?

Alan Gustafson and Chase Elliott are currently the longest-tenured crew chief-driver combo in the NASCAR Cup Series. In their ninth season together now, they have nineteen victories and one championship. But Gustafson’s exploits did not begin with Elliott. 2024 marks his 20th season as a crew chief with Hendrick Motorsports and is a reminder of his interesting journey to the pinnacle of racing.

Growing up near the Daytona International Speedway, he was drawn to the noise of engines at a very young age. He began working on go-karts when he was just 8 years old. He transitioned to legend cars and late models as he grew older with a keen interest in technology and engineering. During his college career studying mechanical engineering, he was hit with a tough choice.

He had to finish his courses or move to North Carolina to work in motorsports. Gustafson picked the latter. He arrived at the Mecca of racing in 1996 and worked for a Goody’s Dash Series team. He was brought into NASCAR in 1997 as a crew chief for Craftsman Truck Series team Addington Racing. A year later, he moved up to the Xfinity Series in the capacity of an engineer for Diamond Ridge Motorsports.

His first meeting with Hendrick Motorsports followed in 1999 after which he got into the team to work in its highly respected chassis department. The impeccable work that he put in got him through the door to the #5 team. Joining it as a shock specialist, he became a lead engineer, and eventually the crew chief in 2005. He went on to work with four different drivers over the next twenty years.

The special bond that Gustafson has with Chase Elliott and his other drivers

Gustafson told Racer Magazine in a recent interview that he was really proud of the relationship that he shares with his drivers. He quipped, “I would like to believe every driver I worked with, if you ask them, we’re still good friends and have a good relationship. I feel that way with Chase. We have a great relationship and it still feels very new; it doesn’t feel old and stagnant.”

When it comes to Elliott, the feeling that Gustafson has is mutual. He told Kevin Harvick on his podcast earlier this year, “I’ve always tried to let him do his job, and let him hold himself accountable first, and he has always allowed me to be me and do the same and just let me do my part and push each other when we need to.”

Thanks to the chemistry that he has with his drivers, the chief has secured 39 victories thus far and is second only to Rodney Childers (40) in the active field. Among his wins are the Southern 500 and the Brickyard 400. He also has 200 top-5 finishes and 345 top-10 finishes. This year, he is on the hunt for his second championship with Elliott, who is currently second on the points table.