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Having already picked up a win earlier this season (Texas), Chase Elliott doesn’t have anything to worry about as it relates to the road ahead.
Elliott will be a part of the 16-driver playoff field, going for his second NASCAR Cup Series championship. That being said, there are still four regular season races remaining. Speaking Saturday with Bob Pockrass of FOX Sports ahead of Sunday’s Cook Out 400 at Richmond, Elliott said the goal remains being in winning contention as he prepares for the postseason.
What does Chase Elliott want to see over the next four weeks as he gets ready for the playoffs: Just win. pic.twitter.com/OXXJ1turQq
— Bob Pockrass (@bobpockrass) August 11, 2024
“Just win,” Elliott said. “Be in contention to win. Winning would be great. But if you can’t win, being in contention to win is a very close second to just overall performance. And where I feel like we need to be and should be and can be.”
Elliott’s first shot at getting back to Victory Lane comes at Richmond. He is winless at Richmond, finishing a career-best P2 in the 2018 spring race. Elliott was fast in qualifying and will start fourth.
Also at stake for Elliott is the regular season points championship. Elliott enters Sunday’s race 10 points behind Hendrick Motorsports teammate Kyle Larson for the regular season points lead. Elliott held the advantage over Larson until the 2021 Cup Series champion took the checkered flag in the Brickyard 400 ahead of the two-week Olympic break.
Chase Elliott’s Richmond sponsor revealed, replacing Hooters
His No. 9 Chevrolet will look a bit different at Richmond, with Coca-Cola serving as the primary backer. Sunday’s race was supposed to be the third and final race of primary sponsorship for Hooters, however, Hendrick terminated its contract with the chicken wing chain last month.
Coca-Cola fills the void of Hooters on a one-race deal. The iconic soft drink company became the official beverage partner of Elliott and the No. 9 team heading into the 2023 NASCAR Cup Series season. Elliott, who once had a relationship with PepsiCo’s Mountain Dew brand, has been a part of the Coca-Cola Racing Family for the past two seasons, per Toby Christie.
Elliott will look to bring the red and white Coca-Cola Chevrolet to Victory Lane at Richmond.
More must-reads:
- NASCAR power rankings: Bubba Wallace rises after breakthrough Brickyard win
- How top four NASCAR drivers are trending in race for regular-season title
- The 'NFL all-time touchdown receptions leaders' quiz
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Richard Childress addresses idea of suspension for Austin Hill
Richard Childress is standing by his driver after a controversial move in the closing laps of Saturday's Pennzoil 250 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Austin Hill, driver of the No. 21 Chevy for Richard Childress Racing, appeared to hook Aric Almirola on Lap 91 after Almirola had gotten Hill loose in the previous corner. In recent years, NASCAR has set a precedent that right-hooking a fellow driver at speed is grounds for a suspension, though their failure to do so with Austin Cindric at COTA in March or with Austin Dillon at Richmond in August 2024 drew scrutiny. Unsurprisingly, Childress doesn't think Hill should have to sit out the Aug. 2 race at Iowa Speedway. "Hell no," Childress said when asked if he believed Hill should have to sit for a week. "They didn't do a damn thing to the 2 car (Cindric) when he wrecked Ty (Dillon, Childress' grandson) and admitted to it, drove him in the right-rear and wrecked him at COTA. It's who you are. We're a blue-collar team, they (NASCAR) give us trouble all the time." Hill was given a five-lap penalty for reckless driving and finished the race in 34th.
Kirk Cousins makes notable leadership move after Falcons practice
Kirk Cousins might be relegated to the job of backup quarterback, but he is showing veteran leadership to his Atlanta Falcons teammates. Following Sunday's practice, Cousins pulled aside rookie defensive end James Pearce to encourage the first-round pick after his fourth practice in the league at Flowery Branch, Georgia. "QB Kirk Cousins pulled aside Pearce after practice to compliment him on a pass batted down," wrote Marc Raimondi of ESPN. Cousins reportedly had a solid day of practice on Sunday, going 7-of-12 passing against the first-team unit. If Cousins wants out of Atlanta, he's not showing it at practice. The four-time Pro Bowl quarterback is competing on the field and being a good teammate around the facility. Cousins' actions on the field backed up what Falcons general manager Terry Fontenot praised Cousins for before the team's practice on Sunday. “Outside, it's a lot more of a deal than it is in the building,” Fontenot said to the media about the idea of friction between the Falcons and Cousins, per video from D. Orlando Ledbetter of the Atlanta Journal Constitution. “He shows up, he does his job, just like anybody ... We've gotta build the best 70-man roster so we can go win games. "That's what we're focused on, and Kirk, just like all the other players, is focused on coming in here and doing their job. That's what he's been doing." Fontenot didn't dismiss the idea that Atlanta would trade Cousins before the season. He said the Falcons will do whatever it takes to make the team better, but stressed that Cousins has been a professional throughout the process of being replaced by Michael Penix Jr., a first-round pick from the 2024 draft. “In terms of making moves, whether it's trades or acquiring players, we're always looking at those factors," Fontenot said. "We're gonna do whatever we can do to make this team the best it can possibly be. But he's been a great professional, and he's handled himself well.” Cousins is coming to work in a manner that will make another owner want to take a chance on the veteran quarterback. That could be one of his best-selling points before he plays in his 13th season in the league.
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Ryan McMahon Only Needed 2 Games With the Yankees to Embarrass Aaron Boone
Only eight plate appearances into his New York Yankees career, Ryan McMahon has already been more productive than the team’s previous third base options. What might sound hyperbolic or outright false at first glance is actually true, at least from a certain point of view. Analytics — specifically, Wins Above Replacement — proves that argument, and it’s one that Yankees manager Aaron Boone should be ashamed of. McMahon went 2-for-3 with a two-run double in Sunday’s victory over the Phillies, giving him four hits in his first eight at-bats. FanGraphs ruled that McMahon is already worth 0.2 fWAR through two games in a Yankees uniform. Amazingly, McMahon has a higher fWAR than the trio of DJ LeMahieu, Oswald Peraza, and Jorbit Vivas, who have played a combined 148 games in the infield thus far. LeMahieu provided -0.1 fWAR over 45 games before being unceremoniously cut earlier this month, while Vivas (-0.2) is currently at Triple-A. Peraza and his -0.6 fWAR remain on the active roster, though he’s shifted into a bench role. Baseball-Reference has been slightly more generous, giving Peraza -0.2 bWAR. Boone stuck with LeMahieu and Peraza until he couldn’t anymore, and it’s partly why the Yankees have dropped to 5 1/2 games back in the AL East. Injuries and age took their toll on LeMahieu, who only played second after returning from calf and hip problems. Peraza owns a .152 average and .452 OPS in 170 plate appearances. We’ll see if McMahon can elevate the Yankees, who open a pivotal four-game set with the rival Tampa Bay Rays on Monday night.
Bears GM speaks out after superstar goes down with injury
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