NASCAR: The Five Biggest Mid-Season Surprises Of 2016
By Mike Hutton
#1 – No. 24, Chase Elliott – Hendrick Motorsports
The sport lost an icon after the 2015 season with Jeff Gordon’s retirement. A four-time champion with 93 career wins doesn’t leave the sport and not also leave a huge hole to fill. With the exception of his first season which was part-time, Gordon finished outside of the top-10 in points only twice in a 24-year career. Certainly, Chase Elliott was being thrown into the deep end of the pool and was expected to swim very quickly.
Elliott has most definitely answered the call. He has won poles at both Daytona and Talladega and has been a serious threat to win at Bristol, Dover, Pocono and Michigan. That’s impressive because you have different varieties of tracks represented in that list. His average finish has been 13.1, he has led 118 laps and has 11 top-10 finishes in 17 races.
At this point, Chase does not have a win, but does have a 73-point cushion over 30th place and barring a catastrophe, should easily qualify for the Chase. He leads the rookie-of-the-year standings by 49 points over Ryan Blaney.
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Statistically, he’s having a better year than did Gordon to the same point last year. How can the performance of Chase Elliott not be the No.1 surprise of 2016? A very pleasant one, too. Equally impressive is how he has carried and conducted himself with veteran poise in the midst of the pressure and attention his success has cast upon him. Well done, young man.