Does Chase Elliott Have a Chance of Defending His Championship?
The NASCAR Xfinity Series season is drawing to an end, and although there are still several races left in the season, the No. 60 of Chris Buescher is running away with the points lead on the strength of two wins. Ty Dillon isn’t too far behind despite being winless. Meanwhile, 19-year-old Chase Elliott, also winless, sits third in the points.
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At this point a year ago it was Elliott leading the points with three wins, and he would go on to win the Nationwide Series championship as an 18-year-old rookie. Consistency played a large part in his placement then, much like it has now. But with the way he’s running this late in 2015 with zero wins, can Elliott realistically defend his 2014 title?
He hasn’t been eliminated from contention by any means, but as he is right now, it doesn’t look like he’ll be repeating as champion. He’s still garnering top-five’s and top-10’s, granted, but that doesn’t mean anything when you’re regularly being bested. Sure, this could count as a sophomore slump for Elliott, although it’s the greatest sophomore slump ever recorded. Plus, it’s hard to best a championship season.
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However there’s more to it. Elliott’s team is owned by JR Motorsports, which is a subsidiary of Hendrick Motorsports. It’s no secret that although they have six wins on the Sprint Cup side of things and three wins on the Xfinity side of things, Hendrick as a whole has been in a bit of a struggle. Everything from ill-handling race cars to lack of speed, Hendrick has had a laundry list of bad fortune in 2015.
It doesn’t help that Elliott’s focus has also been hindered a bit. Aside from trying to learn a few things during his limited Sprint Cup schedule it does have to be weighing on him that he’s the man that’s been tabbed to take over the No. 24 in Cup competition now that Jeff Gordon is stepping away. That in itself is one thing. But he must be worried after seeing what Gordon’s crew has been doing during the 2015 season. Surely, Hendrick will rectify that when Elliott takes center stage.
He’s a young man with a lot on his plate, and compared to his 2014 season Elliott’s 2015 has been less than expected. That’s not a knock against Elliott, as he’s still wheeling that car week-in and week-out and still doing a stellar job. He may not go winless in 2015. Regan Smith snapped a 52-race losing streak at Mid-Ohio. If he could get a win, then Elliott may get a win this season with the way he is running. Just don’t expect him to make a serious run for the title as the season comes to an end.
Weigh in below if you think Elliott has a shot at a second championship in 2015.