So far this season, Chase Elliott has yet to finish in the top-10 in a NASCAR Cup Series race. That might change this weekend at Bristol. Elliott doesn’t have a win at Bristol to his record, but he leads all active drivers in average starting and finishing positions.
Four times in 13 races, Chase Elliott has finished inside of the top-5. Three additional times, he has finished in the top-10. In those 13 races, Elliott has qualified in the top-10 in all but three races.
Bristol is a track that tests drivers. From the concrete surface to the high banks and speeds on the half-mile track, it all factors in. Despite being challenging, despite Elliott not having a win at the track (outside of the 2020 All-Star Race), the driver leads in two key statistics.
In his Cup Series career, Elliott has an average starting position of 7.846. Only Joey Logano, Ryan Blaney, and Brad Keselowski have an average starting position under 10.
When it comes to average finishing position, Chase Elliott tops the chart again among active drivers at 11.923. Just outside of the top-10. His Hendrick teammate Kyle Larson trails him for second on that list.
Qualifying will tell us more than anything. Bristol is historically a track that is hard to pass on. The car starting P1 at Bristol has won more than 21% of all the races. Being in that top-10, top-5 group in qualifying is key to pulling off a win at The Last Great Colosseum more times than not. 78.05% of all Bristol races were won from a top-10 starting position.
What does this mean for Chase Elliott?
It just so happens that Chase Elliott has won a pole award at Bristol before. That came back in 2019. While Hendrick Motorsports has had success at Bristol, the Toyotas of Joe Gibbs Racing have taken over that role more times than not recently.
Qualifying is key. Elliott needs to have a fast car off the trailer if he hopes to contend for a win at this race. He has yet to finish inside of the top-10. He had speed, at least qualifying speed, at Phoenix. However, he found himself mired in dirty air most of the afternoon.
The good news is, Elliott hasn’t finished outside of the top-20 yet this year. So, he’s had some stage points, decent finishes, which is why he’s ninth in points. But this is a Cup Series champion that we are talking about. With other drivers, particularly William Byron at Hendrick, rising in the last two seasons, Elliott has to respond.
In the fall playoff race at Bristol, Christopher Bell won the pole and Denny Hamlin took home the checkered flag. So, expect Joe Gibbs Racing to be fast again in qualifying and on race day. Just keep an eye on Chase Elliott, this race could tell us a lot about how the 28-year-old will perform this season.
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