Chase Elli0tt is back.
The popular driver snapped a 42-race winless streak Sunday at Texas Motor Speedway, winning a caution-filled race that ended under the yellow flag.
It’s Elliott’s 19th career NASCAR Cup Series victory, but first since October 2022 at Talladega. The 2023 season was a painful one for Elliott, both literally and figuratively. He suffered a broken tibia early in the season in a snowboarding accident and missed some races. He missed another race after being suspended for an incident with Denny Hamlin at Charlotte. He ended the season winless and missed the NASCAR playoffs for the first time in his career.
“It couldn’t feel any better,” Elliott said after Sunday’s victory (via USA Today). “I couldn’t be more grateful for this journey and kind of the path that hasn’t always been fun. (Our team has) been working really hard together.”
Despite his struggles on the track, Elliott won the NASCAR Cup Series Most Popular Driver Award for the sixth straight year last season (he’s got a ways to go to catch his father, Bill Elliott, a NASCAR star in the 1980s and ’90s who won the award 16 times).
Chase Elliott’s many fans were in a great mood Sunday, and even fellow drivers paid him tribute on social media. Driver Matt DiBenedetto tweeted, “Congrats @chaseelliott awesome to see him back in victory lane!”
This is the best thing to happen to the state of Georgia lately. https://t.co/YtjoZV970k
— PitRoadNetwork (@PitRoadNetwork) April 14, 2024
[@thecomeback]