Stubbs: When can we expect Chase Elliott to return to Victory Lane?
Heading into the Jack Link's 500 at Talladega Superspeedway on Sunday, Chase Elliott has not claimed a victory in the Cup Series since his triumph at Texas Motor Speedway on April 14, 2024.
Despite holding fifth place in the Cup Series standings, the No. 9 team has noticeably lacked the speed needed to win races. With a current winless streak of 36 races, here are the upcoming tracks where Elliott could potentially break through and end the drought.
--Talladega Superspeedway, Sunday
Elliott has emerged as one of the top racers at superspeedways in recent years, evident in his track record at Talladega. He has secured two victories at the 2.66-mile track (spring 2019, fall 2022) and has achieved eight top-10 finishes in 18 starts. Maintaining an average finish of 14.6 at a chaotic track like Talladega is a remarkable feat, and Elliott has not been involved in a crash at the track since 2020. He has led laps in his last five races there, and a drafting-style race could be the key for the Hendrick Motorsports driver to regain his winning momentum.
--Texas Motor Speedway, May 4
Texas was the location of Elliott's most recent Cup Series victory, as well as his first Nationwide (now Xfinity) Series win in 2014. It has also been one of his stronger tracks throughout his Cup Series career. In his first seven races at TMS, Elliott never finished lower than 13th. While the 1.5-mile venue has not been particularly kind to Elliott in recent years in terms of results, the Next-Gen car has allowed him to become a consistent front runner again at Texas. He led 44 laps in 2022 before crashing and finishing 32nd, placed 11th in 2023, and claimed victory in 2024 after leading 39 laps. While Elliott may not be the clear favorite to win at Texas, it would be surprising if he is not at least in contention for a top-five finish.
--Nashville Superspeedway, June 1
In the four Cup Series races held at Nashville, Elliott has secured two top-five finishes, including a win at the 1.33-mile track in 2022. He finished fourth at Nashville in 2023, and while his other finishes - 18th in 2024 and 39th in 2021 after a disqualification - may not be impressive, Elliott has shown potential at a track that is still being figured out by most of the Cup Series field. If he remains winless as NASCAR enters its summer stretch, Nashville could be the perfect place for the sport's most popular driver to break through.
--Atlanta Motor Speedway, June 28
As previously mentioned, Elliott has become one of the top racers at superspeedways, a valuable skill at the reconfigured Atlanta Motor Speedway. In the six races Elliott has competed in at the reconfigured 1.5-mile track - he missed Atlanta's first race in 2023 due to a leg injury - he has never finished lower than 20th. He claimed victory at Atlanta in July of 2022 and led 125 laps at the track between the two races held that year. While he only has one top-10 finish in the last four Atlanta races, he has managed to bring his car to the finish line in one piece, which is the first step to winning a superspeedway race. With the added motivation of Atlanta being Elliott's home track, a storybook win could be in the cards if he is still without a victory when the Cup Series arrives in the Peach State this summer.
--Samuel Stubbs, Field Level Media