Impressive Chase Elliott streak ends at Watkins Glen

NASCAR Cup Series driver Chase Elliott. Reese Strickland-Imagn Images

Impressive Chase Elliott streak came to an end at Watkins Glen

By Samuel Stubbs | Last updated Aug 10, 2025 6:29 PM ET

One of the more impressive but under-the-radar streaks in NASCAR came to an end at Watkins Glen on Sunday.

Going into Sunday's NASCAR Cup Series race, Chase Elliott had finished top 20 in all 23 races in the 2025 season. In total, Elliott's top-20 streak spanned 26 races, dating back to Homestead-Miami in October 2024.

However, a poor effort from the No. 9 team at Watkins Glen — a track Elliott has won at twice — ended the streak. Elliott finished 26th in the Go Bowling at the Glen and lost 24 points to points leader William Byron.

Chase Elliott has finished top 20 in every single race this season.

He runs 24th with the laps winding down.

I never would've guessed Watkins Glen would be the troublemaker.
— Eric Estepp (@EricEstepp17) August 10, 2025

Elliott now trails Byron by 42 points in the battle for the Cup Series regular-season championship and is 39 points above third-place Denny Hamlin.

While Elliott, the 2020 Cup Series champion, has only won three races since October 2022, he's been the most consistent driver in the Cup Series over that same span. In 2024, Elliott scored 19 consecutive top-20 finishes to open the season before finishing 21st at the Chicago Street Course.

Elliott has one win to his credit in 2025 and sits sixth in the Cup Series playoff standings after Watkins Glen. He'll look to bounce back at Richmond Raceway on Aug. 16.

Samuel Stubbs

Hailing from the same neck of the woods as NASCAR Hall of Famer Mark Martin, Samuel has been covering NASCAR for Yardbarker since February 2024. He has been a member of the National Motorsports Press Association (NMPA) since October of 2024. When he’s not writing about racing, Samuel covers Arkansas Razorback basketball for Yardbarker

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