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Chase Elliott Camp Sees Chevrolet Progress Despite Setup Hurdles
Jerome Miron-Imagn Images

Chase Elliott Camp Sees Chevrolet Progress Despite Setup Hurdles

Originally posted on RFKRacingDigest
By Debrup Chaudhuri  |  Last updated May 9, 2026 7:53 PM ET
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Hendrick Motorsports has the reigning Cup Champion, Kyle Larson, but in a particularly weird season for HMS, it’s the 2020 Cup champion, Chase Elliott, who has come up with the goods this season.

And now, Elliott’s crew chief Alan Gustafson believes Hendrick Motorsports has finally unlocked the aerodynamic potential of the Chevrolet Camaro.

Gustafson said, “It’s been good. It’s had its challenges, but I think it’s really good. I think we, Chevrolet, did a great job with the car, and certainly had some teething time with the car that we really needed to learn. It’s hard to understand how to extract the performance out of it and what’s ultimately going to work best.”

Elliott has two wins this year; he won the last race in Texas, before which he picked up in Martinsville. While Elliott sits 3rd in the championship with 409 points, Kyle Larson is 8th with 318.

William Byron, too, hasn’t capitalized on a good start to the season and currently sits 10th with 308 points, while Alex Bowman is making a strong comeback with back-to-back 3rd place finishes after missing four races due to vertigo. 

But Elliott’s form in the #9 Chevrolet has gone against the grain this season, where Toyota cars have been regular winners.

Gustafson also said that he feels that HMS has done a good job with the body and aerodynamics, which has shown in the team’s performance at 1.5-mile courses. 

“Vegas, Kansas, Texas, we’ve ran really good there. We had a shot to win in Vegas and really had a good race car in Kansas, and won Texas. So in that regard, it’s been really good,” said the #9 crew chief. 

He also hinted a bit at the reasoning behind some of the struggles that the HMS drivers have faced through this up-and-down season. 

Body not the problem for HMS

Despite Chase Elliott’s two wins this season, the crew chief warns that mastering the new 750-horsepower engine package remains the team’s biggest hurdle.

Gustafson broke down the issues and said,  “I think the struggle may not be related to the body, but just like I mentioned earlier, the 750  would be something to future. We just haven’t been able to get the program right.”

The 750 hp engines are a new addition this year. As with everything new, the adjustment time might take a while. Gustafson added, “I think the body side is going well, and I’m still excited. One thing I was really excited about when you get something new is you just have the opportunity to make gains and learn things and iterate and ultimately become smarter.”

But Gustafson is clear that the work is cut out for the team. 

“We’re in that process, which I enjoy, and it’s going well, but certainly we have some work to do. But I think the car is great, and I think there’s a lot more to get.”

HMS will be hoping that their other drivers step up and get wins to have an ideal shot at winning the Cup Series.

This article first appeared on RFKRacingDigest and was syndicated with permission.

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