NASCAR: Chase Elliott, the driver of the future

By Asher Fair | Nov 5, 2017

KANSAS CITY, KS - OCTOBER 20: Chase Elliott, driver of the #24 NAPA Chevrolet, waits on the grid during qualifying for the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Hollywood Casino 400 at Kansas Speedway on October 20, 2017 in Kansas City, Kansas. (Photo by Chris Trotman/Getty Images) /

The landscape of the NASCAR Cup Series is changing with the addition of many new drivers. Chase Elliott is leading that change.

Chase Elliott, 21, began his full-time NASCAR Cup Series career last season as the replacement for the great Jeff Gordon in the #24 Chevrolet for Hendrick Motorsports. Gordon retired after the 2015 season even though he made some relief appearances for the injured Dale Earnhardt Jr. last year.

Elliott has made 74 starts in the Cup Series, of which 69 have come since the beginning of last season when he made is debut in the #24 Chevrolet as a full-time driver. However, he still has not yet won a race, leaving many people to wonder if maybe he is all hype because of the fact that his father Bill was so successful in his Cup Series career with a championship and 44 victories as well as the fact that he is the replacement for Jeff Gordon, a four-time Cup Series champion and 93-time race winner.

But even without a win yet in the Cup Series, Chase Elliott is still leading the huge change of NASCAR’s landscape, which involves a number of young drivers rising to the top of the Cup Series ranks above the many veterans in the sport, some of whom are former champions.

While there are other young drivers who have also been great to start their Cup Series careers, some of which having already won at least one race unlike Elliott, Elliott is still NASCAR’s “driver of the future”.

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Sure, Kyle Larson, 25, is in his fourth full-time NASCAR Cup Series season and has five career victories to his name, of which four have come this year, while Elliott doesn’t have a single win. But in both of Elliott’s seasons, he has made it farther than Larson has in the playoffs.

Sure, Ryan Blaney, 23, is in his second full-time NASCAR Cup Series season and already has one career victory even driving for just a one-car team. Plus, he’s in the Round of 8 in this year’s playoffs with a legitimate chance to advance to the Championship 4.

But while Elliott doesn’t have a single career win, he is also in the Round of 8, whereas Blaney would not have even qualified for this year’s playoffs at all had he not won at Pocono in June. Elliott also qualified for the playoffs last season, his rookie season, while Blaney, who was also a rookie last season, did not.

Elliott has been great this season, especially as of late, as three of his six career-high 2nd place finishes came during a recent four-race span in this year’s playoffs. He is also still in contention to win this year’s championship even without a single career victory to his name.

If he actually ends up winning this year’s championship, he would be the first driver to ever win a championship without winning a race in his championship season in addition to being the first to do so without a career win.

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With how successful he has been even without a career NASCAR Cup Series win so far, just imagine how good Chase Elliott can be once he “gets the monkey off his back” and starts winning races. As of now, it is pretty clear that he is NASCAR’s “driver of the future” even with many other young and talented drivers out there.