CONCORD, N.C. – With Kentucky in the rearview mirror, the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series is now officially halfway through the 2016 season.
Hendrick Motorsports rookie Chase Elliott has led an impressive charge in his debut season. While still searching for his first career Cup win, the 20-year-old has already logged six top-five finishes and 11 top-10s in just 18 races.
He has also earned two superspeedway pole positions at both Daytona International Speedway and Talladega Superspeedway.
Elliott claimed his career-best finish of second in June at Michigan International Speedway.
“I’m really proud of our group in particular,” Elliott said of his No. 24 team. “First and foremost to see those guys first hand, how they work and how they operate, I’m just really glad to have the group of guys that I have.”
One of those teammates is No. 24 team crew chief Alan Gustafson, who Elliott said he is lucky to have atop his pit box.
“I think he is an incredible crew chief,” the driver said. “I don’t think he gets the credit that he deserves. In my opinion, I think he is definitely a good leader and I think a lot of our guys respect him. I have enjoyed working with him.”
While Elliott has, by any measure, had a successful rookie season so far, it has not come without its ups and downs. The young driver and his team have faced adversity at several tracks, including this past weekend at Kentucky Speedway.
“I hope we can try to get better throughout the year,” Elliott said. “We are not where we want to be. We are about two to three stickers short of where we want to be up by my name on the car.”
And Elliott’s goal is to have a few win stickers on his No. 24 NAPA AUTO PARTS Chevrolet SS by the end of the season.
“That is what we want to do,” the rookie said. “That is our goal, to try to get to Victory Lane. I feel like I have a team that can do that. As I’ve said before, you can sit around and talk about it all day long, but until you do it, it really doesn’t matter. Just trying to go get the job done and just focus on what matters.”