Coming off a season where he led the Cup Series in average finish, Chase Elliott sort of reestablished himself at the top of NASCAR’s hierarchy. After a 2023 that was marred with injury and poor performances, seeing Elliott and the 9 team return to a consistent level of quality was great to see. Plus, they returned to victory lane. However, last year left much to be desired out of NASCAR’s Most Popular Driver. As this series marks off the first week, there are 34 Days to Daytona as it is time to cover the Hendrick Motorsports #9 team.
The #9 Team
Driver: Chase Elliott
Crew Chief: Alan Gustafson
Sponsors: NAPA, Kelly Blue Book, Llumar, Unifirst, Amazon Prime
2024 Statistics: 1 Win, 11 Top-5s, 19 Top-10s, 431 Laps Led, 11.7 Average Finish
2025 Season Preview
Turning Consistency Into Wins
As mentioned in the introduction, Chase Elliott was the model of consistency throughout last season. Not only did he lead the series in average finish, he did not have a result outside the Top-20 until race 20 (Chicago). However, that consistency failed to translate to wins or laps led. Elliott seemed to be stuck in the mid Top-10 most races. That said, Homestead and Martinsville in the Round of 8 saw Elliott flash race winning speed. Perhaps the 9 team can build off of this and collect Elliott’s first multi-win season since 2022.
Most Popular, For Now
Despite winning Most Popular Driver for the seventh straight season, the tides seem to be turning away from Chase Elliott. Now, that does not mean the fans are starting to boo him. Rather, there are a couple of drivers who seem to be garnering more cheers than Elliott on a regular basis. That could be chalked to success on track, as Elliott’s past two seasons have given little for his fans to rave about. If 2025 produces another pedestrian season from Elliott, could the streak be broken? Even if the streak remains, NASCAR might have a new poster driver other than the one from Dawsonville, Georgia.
A Change on the Pit Box
Alan Gustafson has been Chase Elliott’s crew chief since his rookie season in 2016. The pair have found tremendous success together, including the 2020 championship and 19 wins. However, the past two seasons have put some questions about whether the two would be better splitting. Despite their success, sometimes a swap atop the pit box is what both driver and crew chief need to continue finding success. 2025 might be the make or break year for the Elliott/Gustafson tandem. Only one win (barring a championship) will certainly not get the job done.
Daytona 500 Preview
Eventually, Chase Elliott will have to win a Cup Series race at Daytona International Speedway. Elliott has proven to be a highly successful superspeedway racer, racking up 3 wins between Talladega and Atlanta. However, he currently holds a goose egg for Daytona. While other notable superspeedway aces have gone winless at Daytona, it feels that Elliott will claim at least one Daytona race. Why not this year’s Daytona 500?
As with every Hendrick Motorsports entry, qualifying speed should not be an issue. In his first two Daytona 500s, Elliott qualified on pole. Yet, he usually is the slowest of the Hendrick cars for his timed lap recently. Still, a mediocre qualifying performance can be undone by a strong duel race. Elliott has finished inside the Top-5 in each of his past 5 duel races. As for the Great American Race, the main question will be one of survival. If Elliott can keep his car in one piece for the end of the race, he is as good of a shout to hoist the Harley J Earl Trophy as anyone.
Days to Daytona Countdown
40 Days: Team Penske #22; 39 Days: Team Penske #12; 38 Days: Hendrick #24;
37 Days: 23XI Racing #45; 36 Days: Joe Gibbs Racing #20;
35 Days: Hendrick Motorsports #5
