As vicious and pernicious the impact of the narrative can be on an athlete, the converse of any negative storyline that follows them and their performance is they have the power to change it. And change it Chase Elliott has.
Entering the 2024 season coming off of a disastrous 2023 ruined by an off-track injury, the narrative was how, when and if the 2020 Cup Series champion would bounce back and return to his winning ways. He settled that at Texas, putting a winless streak dating back to the end of 2022 behind him and putting himself back in the playoffs. And for the first time since 2022, Elliott is now once again at the top of the Cup standings. Thanks to a crash by Kyle Larson and his own third-place finish, Elliott is now the new leader in the regular-season championship standings by eight points over his Hendrick Motorsports teammate and fellow Cup title holder.
Coinciding with his move to the top of the regular-season standings, Elliott is now also the new leader in the CBS Sports NASCAR Power Rankings entering New Hampshire, a track where he is still looking to break through and win for the first time at. Two years ago, Elliott earned his best Loudon finish to date when he ran second to Christopher Bell, who has likewise moved up to second in this week’s Power Rankings.
During the recent NASCAR Cup Series race at Pocono, Chase Elliott let his frustrations boil over following a disputed penalty that could impact his chances in the regular season championship. Elliott, following a strategy similar to that of racing counterpart Denny Hamlin, was penalised for an early merge back onto the track from pit road.
Elliott’s infraction involved speeding on pit road and incorrectly merging onto the racetrack, violating NASCAR’s blend line rules which dictate that drivers must use the warm-up lane until exiting turn 2. The heated scenario unfolded over the team radio, capturing Elliott’s expletive-laden reaction to the penalty. He commented, as quoted by Essentially Sports:
“I mean, what the f***. They sent out the f***ing sheet, and I did exactly what it said to do.”
The incident drew immediate confusion and concern from Elliott’s crew chief, Alan Gustafson, who was quick to seek clarification from race officials.
