is chase elliot flirting with becoming a bust?

F

flozeeahn

Guest
i know there are a lot of chase elliot fans. but the 24 car is now on a longer losing streak than any other hendrick car. a win looked like a sure thing just weeks into last season. honestly, there was a clan all over the web week to week promising the upcoming win that could be any race. this is the week chase gets his first. and i thought so too. but we have seen kyle larson go from 0 career wins to 3 career wins in that time. we have seen ryan blaney emerge to be on the same level as chase and perhaps even a bit above it for now. we see erik jones pretty much performing on par with elliot week to week...but jones doesn't know how to keep the nose clean just yet. we see stenhouse getting multiple wins. dillon has won. newman. kahne. many surprise winners....but the one everyone was expecting is the one who hasn't figured it out yet. chase has certainly had capable cars. earlier this season and all of last season. his speed has been lacking lately and i know he's running in the p8-p12 range. that's what concerns me. the 24 team didn't capitalize on the speed they had last year and early this seaosn. now it isn't there and it seems their chances of pulling off the win from week to week are regressing. still plenty of racing this season....but what if the year ends with chase elliot still winless for his career? he has one of the two most iconic cars on the track...so it's very well funded. gustafson isn't the idiot everyone claims he is...not the greatest, but capable of bringing a winning car and calling a winning race.

how long until chase elliot breaks through? how long until he faces critique and the doubters start speaking up? i know his ride is relatively secure...but i'm sure everyone in the nascar nation expects that kid to pile up some wins. could you see him falling short of expectations and maybe being a guy who doesn't reach 10 career wins?
 
HMS isn't as strong this year and that's the bottom line. The 48 team has a few wins because, well, they're the 48 team. But the other Hendrick teams haven't consistently run well. The 24 has outperformed the 5 and 88 and is on par with the 48 most weeks.

To answer your question, no, he's absolutely nowhere near "bust" status. That's ridiculous to even suggest. He's done well so far and he's just getting started.
 
2 Sweet said:
HMS isn't as strong this year and that's the bottom line. The 48 team has a few wins because, well, they're the 48 team. But the other Hendrick teams haven't consistently run well. The 24 has outperformed the 5 and 88 and is on par with the 48 most weeks.

To answer your question, no, he's absolutely nowhere near "bust" status. That's ridiculous to even suggest. He's done well so far and he's just getting started.
Click to expand...

It really is too early for this... however, it did cross my mind in the last couple weeks as well. He has a ton of fans so anyone thinking about this will get flamed to no end... the thing going for him is he has so much support it would seem like.... I believe Hendrick/NAPA will probably allow him some time to get it rolling...

There's no guarantee he's going to be some legend. I always sit back and grab the popcorn when there's someone with as much hype as Elliott, because every now and then they work out good and every now and then you might need to remind people to google a name like "Casey Atwood"... In the early 2000's I thought the state of California would remove the Hollywood sign and put his name up on the hills... look how that played out.
 
He was overhyped, as most prospects are. Fact is any driver coming up to Cup would take what he's done in his first two seasons - two (likely) playoff appearances, seventh in Top 5s, eighth in Top 10s, eleventh in laps led. But it's hard to meet expectations when everyone and their grandma is (unfairly) likening you to the next Jeff Gordon or Jimmie Johnson.
 
FLRacingFan said:
But it's hard to meet expectations when everyone and their grandma is (unfairly) likening you to the next Jeff Gordon or Jimmie Johnson.
Click to expand...
That's probably the main reason it seems like he's behind the curve, but he's actually done very well his first two seasons despite the fact that he's still sans a win. I think Chase will be more like the next Dale Jr rather than the next Jeff or Jimmie, it was probably unfair to compare him to two of the greatest right out of the gate.
 
so laugh. was just a question. what happens when his confidence starts to fade?

look at anyone on the track who has had what the average nascar fan would call an exceptional career.

logano won his rookie season.
brad won before his rookie season.
kenseth won his.
hamlin won his.
kyle busch won his.
kurt won 4 his second season.
harvick won his rookie season.
junior won his rookie season.
johnson won his rookie season.
kahne won his second season.
newman won his rookie season.
blaney has won in the same career span.
carl edwards won his rookie season.
hell clint bowyer won his second season.
mcmurray won his second race.
truex won his second season.

literally every successful driver on the track had a win at this point in their careers. is this completely insignificant? maybe...but i wouldn't take it as a good sign.


...it's time for elliot to win. it is indeed too early to call him a bust. but if he doesn't win by season's end, i would say he has fallen WELL short of expectations. 7th in points is impressive? mcmurray has been top ten in points all season. impressive? kinda.

he's obviously not stinking the joint up. but i just want him to get his.
 
No. This was why I had a problem when he was being hyped as the future GOAT. He'll win races and probably a couple championships, but he's not going to dominate the way the media has said he would, especially with guys like Erik Jones, Kyle Larson and Ryan Blaney running against him each week.
 
flozeeahn said:
logano won his rookie season.
Click to expand...

Luck/Rain. If that race had gone to the conclusion, Logano would've finished a lap or two down.

flozeeahn said:
brad won before his rookie season.
Click to expand...

Restrictor plate race.

flozeeahn said:
kenseth won his.
hamlin won his.
kyle busch won his.
kurt won 4 his second season.
harvick won his rookie season.
junior won his rookie season.
johnson won his rookie season.
kahne won his second season.
newman won his rookie season.
Click to expand...

Different era. Same "different era" goes for Carl Edwards, Jamie McMurray (which was also his only win for years), Clint Bowyer and Martin Truex.

The era of rookies coming out and being championship contenders right out of the gate came to an end with the implementation of the fifth generation racecar.
 
but logano won.

brad's plate win is legendary in the 09

i completely agree with that era being done with.

but chase is really hard on himself when he doesn't do what he feels like needs to be done. i honestly hope he gets his win soon with authority... i'm not bashing him. just seeing what everyone else thinks.
 
flozeeahn said:
but logano won.
Click to expand...

Logano's win was a fluke. He went how many years after that without a win?

flozeeahn said:
brad's plate win is legendary in the 09
Click to expand...

It was a restrictor plate race. It's not fair to use that win against Chase Elliott. Trevor Bayne won in his second career start, in the Daytona 500 no less. Does that make him a better driver than Chase Elliott, even though Bayne hasn't done jack or **** since then?

flozeeahn said:
but chase is really hard on himself when he doesn't do what he feels like needs to be done. i honestly hope he gets back on track soon. i'm not bashing him. just seeing what everyone else thinks.
Click to expand...

He's too hard on himself. I thought they were gonna have to put him on suicide watch when Larson got past him at Michigan last year. He's a good kid though, very humble, no ego. Why I like him.
 
He's an Elliott and will be the next most popular driver after Jr for a long time. Jr doesn't set the world on fire on the track and Chase wont have to either. He'll win eventually and I hope it's this year as him winning would be great for NASCAR same as Jr winning more would.
 
He's overhyped just like Dale Jr. has been his whole career, but the 24 team is 7th in points while the other 3 are 11th, 19th, and 22nd.

I'm not the biggest Chase fan but there's always gonna be that live up to dad expectation.
 
This is a legitimate question.

I think Larson and and Blaney will be the "guys". Chase is running well, but he needs to show he can win. The hype has already died and people don't care.

I think thw realistic general expectations were someone like a Kevin Harvick/Matt Kenseth sort of success. Which, as of now, it's hard to say he will reach that. The concern is that he'll be a Jr kind of driver and win 20-30 races and at the best, compete for a championship. I think that's where the irrational panic comes in.

I think he will fall somewhere in between. Probably a bit better than Jr. For now though, at the cup level, Blaney has shown me he is the better driver at cup level. I think he is seriously underrated. I'm picking him wi ing 3-5 next year, and competing by 2019
 
Past 10 races:

Truex: 1 win - 5 top 5s - 8 top 10s - avg finish 13.4

Ky Busch: 1 win - 4 top 5s - 6 top 10s - avg finish 11.1

JJ: 1 win, 1 top 5 - 3 top 10s - avg finish 20.1

Elliott: 0 wins - 3 top 5s - 6 top 10s - avg finish 14.6

Not bad, just needs to get the monkey off his back and win one.
 
Chase is fine. He's shown the chops to compete at a high level. Just needs a better car and a little luck. Chevys don't have quite the same blessing as the Toys or Fords (it seems), so winning is a bit more challenging. Still, he runs up front at times and holds his own typically in the top 10.
 
Conover said:
Chase is fine. He's shown the chops to compete at a high level. Just needs a better car and a little luck. Chevys don't have quite the same blessing as the Toys or Fords (it seems), so winning is a bit more challenging. Still, he runs up front at times and holds his own typically in the top 10.
Click to expand...

Hahaha Chevy not having the same blessing....ffffn Chevy has stolen so many wins over the years plus 8 wins this year
 
He'll be fine, Chase will win and win soon.
 
Honestly after the close calls last year , I know its going to happen and enjoying the anticipation
till it does. The amazement of him being the Xfinity Champion as a rookie in 2014 still has not worn off.

Have all the "GOAT" and "Sliced Bread " you want. Here, we are talking about "Fine Wine". I got time.
 
I don't think finishing in the top five 25% of races entered, or 48% in the top ten, and thrown in for good measure, three poles of races entered are a sign Chase isn't up to snuff. Most teams would think of that as a sterling record considering how Matt DiBennedetto was elated finishing sixth at Bristol last year.
 
Simple Fan said:
He's an Elliott and will be the next most popular driver after Jr for a long time. Jr doesn't set the world on fire on the track and Chase wont have to either. He'll win eventually and I hope it's this year as him winning would be great for NASCAR same as Jr winning more would.
Click to expand...
This might be interesting as Blaney seems to be getting his share of fans these days. I wonder how the most popular driver is decided?
 
The way team performance swings in this sport I could see him going on a tear when he does break through.

I am not worried about him yet, every driver is different and it is no mystery that Hendrick performance needs improvement.
 
I think he might be putting the weight of the team on his shoulders. He is still learning his role in the team. I've noticed in his interviews he identifies stuff he learned during the race. He does own up to his mistakes. He has shown he can be competitive, it is just a matter of time before he puts it all together and run up front on a regular basis.
 
Everyone here should watch the Go90.com Documentary on his first couple of weeks with the 24 team and their Daytona preparation. 2 things stood out to me: 1.) He really does have a lot to learn on the Cup side and it will take time. He'll get that win this year he was strong at Michigan last year/this year (one more race coming up) and a few other places in the playoff tracks as well ( can't say for the sake of the Pick Em Game) 2.) *Spoiler Alert.....I think he was macking on Katie Nolan and not even knowing it, his game is strong off track too.
 
Chase smoked Blaney in the ROY race last year, and has also smoked him in top 5's and top 10's in about a dozen fewer races, and in every other stat, but Blaney wins a race against Kyle Busch who was on used up tires and suddenly he's >>> and he's got the goods and is flashy and has got "it". I don't get it, and every time I ask nobody can offer anything but opinion to support the argument. I rely on facts. If one win makes or breaks you then I guess Austin is > Chase too? @Ford Racing is correct. Larson had a few more 2nd place finishes but Chase is ahead of the Larson curve to this point in his 2nd year. Their 2nd seasons are almost identical if you look at the results.

This is just nuts to even ask.
 
Snappy D said:
Everyone here should watch the Go90.com Documentary on his first couple of weeks with the 24 team and their Daytona preparation. 2 things stood out to me: 1.) He really does have a lot to learn on the Cup side and it will take time. He'll get that win this year he was strong at Michigan last year/this year (one more race coming up) and a few other places in the playoff tracks as well ( can't say for the sake of the Pick Em Game) 2.) *Spoiler Alert.....I think he was macking on Katie Nolan and not even knowing it, his game is strong off track too.
Click to expand...
Those were a terrific watch, I wish they'd make a tv series out of that and follow different teams during the season.
 
Chase is fine. The media hype is stupid. I have always really believed that to truly understand/enjoy this sport, look beyond the results. Chase is fast.
 
DIDIT said:
This might be interesting as Blaney seems to be getting his share of fans these days. I wonder how the most popular driver is decided?
Click to expand...
Popular:
adjective
1. regarded with favor, approval, or affection by people in general

In other words, he is well liked. That is what the award represents.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom