Can Anyone Catch Chase Elliott?
By Aaron Hale
Jasen Vinlove-USA TODAY Sports
Who can catch Chase Elliott? That’s the question drivers in the Nationwide Series have been asking all season and haven’t found an answer. Regan Smith, Elliott’s teammate, is the closest. However, 38 points back in the standings is far from close. With only four races remaining in the 2014 season, it is closer to an eternity.
In his first Nationwide season Elliott has notched three wins, 14 top five finishes, and 23 top ten finishes. This includes his current streak of ten straight top ten finishes. Of course it helps that Chase gets great equipment from his JR Motorsports team and has arguably one of the best Nationwide crew chiefs in Greg Ives. That still doesn’t take away from Elliott’s pure talent behind the wheel.
Chase takes care of the car throughout the race and doesn’t put himself in bad situations. The race at Road America in the rain comes to mind. Chase ran well in a type of racing that wasn’t necessarily considered his strong suit. He was slipping and sliding but ran up front all day taking a solid top five finish. Sure, like every driver he wanted to win but he only pushed the car to the edge, not over.
Peter Casey-USA TODAY Sports
The best showcase of Elliott’s skills came at Darlington. He was coming off his first win at Texas the week before and was having an excellent run for his first time racing “The Lady in Black.” He was second to Kyle Busch when the final caution came out late in the race. Everyone came to pit lane but the #9 crew had an issue on the stop. This put Elliott back in sixth with only two laps remaining. Chase kept his cool and drove to the front taking the lead from Elliott Sadler going into turn three on the final lap.
To do so he passed Elliott Sadler, Kyle Larson, Kyle Busch, Matt Kenseth, and Kevin Harvick. All talented drivers who are in contention for wins week in and week out. Passing these drivers, on the final restart, in his first race at Darlington showed that Chase is the real deal.
His future is bright. He has a great sponsor in NAPA and has great individuals surrounding him. Next year Greg Ives is leaving to go work with Dale Earnhardt Jr. on the cup side. Ives will be replaced by Ernie Cope, another excellent crew chief that has had success working with various drivers in the #5 JR Motorsports entry. This pairing will give Chase a great opportunity to be in the championship hunt again next year.
Then there is Elliott’s Sprint Cup career. Rick Hendrick already said we shouldn’t be surprised to see Chase competing in some Sprint Cup races before the end of next season. This means it’s only a matter of time before there is an Elliot driving on Sunday afternoons once again.
So, can anyone catch Elliot in 2014? Unless something catastrophic happens, the answer is no. He has been lights out all year and there’s no reason to believe this will change in the next four races. Regan Smith and his team have done fine job all year long but just haven’t seen the edge like the #9 team has. Smith’s only win came in February at Daytona. That’s a long time away from victory lane. Smith will do all he can to close the gap but Chase Elliott is well on his way to becoming the 2014 Nationwide Series Champion.
Aaron Hale is a Staff Writer for BeyondTheFlag.com on the FanSided Network. Follow us on Twitter @Beyond_The_Flag and “Like” us on Facebook.