Before last Sunday’s race at Texas Motor Speedway, 2020 Cup champion Chase Elliott had been critical the racing at the track ever since its reconfiguration a few years back. However, after emerging victorious at TMS, the No.9 Chevy racer took back his criticism of the track and claimed it to be better than before.
Chase Elliott was enraged with the reconfiguration of TMS in 2017 and was against the track being on the NASCAR calendar any longer. Moreover, even his teammate, Kyle Larson, was in favor of the demolition of the track. However, this soon changed last Sunday, when the former cup champion broke his win drought at the track he envied for much of his career.
I’m not saying it was great, but it’s better than it has been, at least from my vantage point. I could be totally off base. When you watch something from the outside, it can look different. From where I was sitting, it seems like tires were a little more of a factor, and that’s a good thing. Chase Elliott said.
Elliott claimed the race to be better than its prequels. Furthermore, he stated that the race was fun due to the low tire degradation which allowed drivers to race each other with little to no penalties. However, the 28-year-old’s praise for the track was attributed to the low tire wear and not the track’s configuration, and he continued his stance against the track.
Alan Gustafson is proud of Chase Elliott
Elliott was known for his consistency owing to his Cup series championship win in 2020. However, this momentum soon tumbled as the 28-year-old suffered a leg injury and then faced a suspension which extended his winless drought in the series. Subsequently, it took time for the Hendrick Motorsports driver to get back on pace, and he has now ended his winless streak at TMS.
Subsequently, after winning the race, his fans were delighted with the result and so were his crew members. Especially, Alan Gustafson, who is the crew chief of Elliott stated that he is proud of his driver to have ended the long wait.
I feel like he’s performed really well. I think it's just sometimes you can get in a little bit of a hole. You just have to fight, right? That’s the biggest thing I’m most proud of him and the team for, is just continuing to fight through it, make it happen. It’s super cliché and cheesy, but you just never give up. You learn that if you don’t give up, eventually things are going to turn around. Alan Gustafson said in an interview with motorsport.com.
The crew chief was pleased with Elliott’s performance and emphasized his ability to not give up. Subsequently, this has given a momentum boost to the No.9 garage, which would be the favorite for a win at Talladega.
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