As NASCAR’s seven-time most popular driver Chase Elliott prepares for this weekend’s race at Texas Motor Speedway, he finds himself grappling with a mix of emotions that have characterized his 2025 season. Despite being stuck in a 37-race winless streak in points events, the second-longest of his career, Elliott remains cautiously optimistic about his chances at the track where he secured his lone victory of the 2024 season.
When asked whether he’s frustrated about returning to Texas in virtually the same position or encouraged about being the defending winner, Elliott smiled and said, “I guess both.”
He elaborated on his conflicting feelings, stating, “Well, the good news was it went well. The bad news was it was 12 months ago. A lot changes in a year, and things that we are working on behind the scenes, whether a setup path or a race strategy path or whatever it is, that is going to outweigh something that went on 12 months ago.”
Elliott acknowledged the challenges of relying on past success, adding, “It’s hard to reflect that far back and think that, ‘Oh, we’ll just do what we did last year,’ and that’s going to be perfect because most of the time that’s not the case. … The lessons that we’ve learned lately are likely more applicable than those 12-plus months ago.”
Despite the absence of a points-paying victory, Elliott has maintained remarkable consistency throughout the 2025 season. He is the only driver to have finished in the top 20 of the first 10 races and currently sits fourth in points, despite having no stage wins. Assessing his results, the 2020 Cup champion sees the glass as both half-full and half-empty.
“I’m somewhat happy,” Elliott said. “No different than anyone else on our team. We want more. I think we’re capable of more. And we just have high expectations. We are proud of those good runs that we’ve had, but we know that there’s more in the tank. The season’s still very early, and I’ve seen enough high spots to kind of give me hope.”
While Elliott’s season has been highlighted by strong performances at Circuit of The Americas, Martinsville, and Darlington, he also credits his team’s ability to overcome adversity in the early stages of the year.
“Our team does a really good job of just trying to piece stuff together,” he said. “It just comes down to those guys being prepared on pit road for toe-link changes or needing to patch together body pieces. A lot of that stuff comes from, from their preparation and hard work throughout the week to just make sure that they’re ready for those types of circumstances that can be thrown at them. So that is the only reason why we didn’t finish outside the top 20 at those races. It’d be great to pair that with some really good results and race wins.”
As Elliott returns to Texas, a track where he secured his breakthrough Xfinity Series victory in 2014, he will also be honoring the 100th anniversary of his long-time sponsor, NAPA, with a special paint scheme on his No. 9 Chevrolet.
Reflecting on the significance of the partnership, Elliott said, “Everyone knows they’ve been a huge piece of my career and a vital piece of the puzzle to my career even becoming a career. I really can’t say enough about them and what they’ve done for me and my family and everyone at Hendrick Motorsports as well. I think we’ve all kind of become a part of one another’s families over the years, and it’s been a really nice and natural fit. It wouldn’t even feel right to go race without them at this point.”
As Elliott balances optimism and frustration heading into the Texas race weekend, he remains focused on capitalizing on the potential he sees in his team and finally breaking through for that elusive first points-paying victory of the 2025 season.
