Could 4, 2025; Fort Value, Texas, USA; NASCAR Cup Sequence driver Chase Elliott (9) is launched earlier than the beginning of the Wurth 400 race at Texas Motor Speedway. Necessary Credit score: Jerome Miron-Imagn Photographs
Sunday’s Viva Mexico 250 in Mexico Metropolis means just a few road-course standouts needs to be antsy to make the lengthy journey south and declare a playoff berth.
NASCAR makes historical past Sunday when it holds the primary points-paying worldwide Cup Sequence race within the fashionable period on the tough Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez, that includes 15 turns that drivers will battle over 100 laps (242.9 miles) at 7,350 ft.
It is going to be the primary worldwide factors occasion since 1958 when Lee Petty received in Toronto driving an Oldsmobile in a 19-car subject that featured son Richard in his racing debut.
One hotshot wanting ahead to some proper turns to go together with the lefts is Chase Elliott, the lively chief in wins on the Cup Sequence’ snaking layouts from New York to California to Mexico and factors in between.
Proprietor of seven street wins, third to all-time chief Jeff Gordon (9) and Tony Stewart (eight), Elliott has had no luck on them since 2022.
His solely two victories in 2021 and the final on the winding programs have been on the Circuit of the Americas in Austin, Tex., and the prolonged Highway America in Elkhart Lake, Wisc., which solely made two appearances on the Cup schedule (2021, 2022) earlier than being changed.
The seven-time NASCAR Most Standard Driver award winner is having an extremely constant however utterly unremarkable common season in his tenth full marketing campaign after operating 5 races in 2015.
By means of 15 races to date, the No. 9 Hendrick Motorsports pilot is winless — he has had only one victory (Texas, 2024) since grabbing the checkers at Talladega on Oct. 2, 2022 — however he’s the one driver to complete each race within the high 20, putting him fifth in factors (minus-112 to chief William Byron) with an 11.7 common end.
Nonetheless, Elliott had made a behavior of profitable within the Cup Sequence — 19 complete instances, together with 5 every in his championship season of 2020 and likewise in 2022.
However drivers usually should result in win — although Denny Hamlin, who will miss the Mexico race for his kid’s start, solely led 5 laps Sunday on the best way to profession victory No. 57 at Michigan.
Elliott, 29, has paced the best way on simply 95 laps, whereas Byron, Kyle Larson and Hamlin — 1-2-3 in factors — have mixed for a whopping 2,074 circuits led.
Normally for Elliott, it has been a special story, considered one of flashy, checkered success, not only a good factors day with no probability of glory, relating to racing on the slithering asphalt.
In 36 profession street occasions, Elliott has nabbed seven wins, three poles and 20 high fives. He has led 489 laps with a mean end of 9.0.
The Dawsonville, Ga., driver is optimistic — regardless of followers’ criticism of crew chief Alan Gustafson and the group.
“We care quite a bit about one another,” Elliott stated. “I feel it is vital that we have caught collectively by way of this, and I feel there may be gentle on the finish of the tunnel someplace. I additionally suppose we will be means higher for it as soon as we do get on the opposite facet as a result of we have needed to study some arduous classes.”
At the moment saddled with an 0-for-43 winless streak in factors races, may the highest racer on street programs desperately use a win Sunday and tie Stewart for second in wins?
Let’s simply say he would don’t have any downside bringing a trophy by way of customs when he returns.
–Discipline Degree Media