Consecutive top-fives show Chase Elliott may be turning the corner

After Chase Elliott failed to finish inside the top 10 in the first four NASCAR Cup Series races of the year, he and the No. 9 team appear to be turning the corner. 

Elliott's third-place finish at Martinsville on Sunday is the 2020 Cup Series champion's third top-eight finish in the last four races, with the lone outlier being a 16th-place run at COTA that was marred by a course-cutting penalty. 

With finishes of eighth at Bristol, fifth at Richmond, and third at Martinsville, it seems like short tracks are Elliott's bread and butter to start the season, a surprising revelation given his affinity for road courses over the past several seasons. After a brutal 2023 campaign, however, Elliott and crew chief Alan Gustafson likely aren't too picky over which races they run well in. 

"I feel like throughout the season, we've been working in a good direction, and working really good together," Elliott said after Sunday's race. "Alan has been calling really good races. I think if we just keep producing, we'll get our turn one day."

Elliott would certainly welcome a win sooner rather than later, as the Dawsonville, Ga. native is currently the owner of a 42-race winless streak, which dates back to Talladega in the fall of 2022. With Talladega coming up on April 21st, that next checkered flag may be in the cards soon. 

For Elliott and his team, however, good runs are more important than anything, as it shows he may be finally turning the corner and reverting back to championship form.