NBA legend NASCAR team owner asserts Chase Elliott has been a ‘mid-pack driver everywhere’ in 2023

Chase Elliott hasn’t won a single race this season and is on the verge of ending the season winless.


NBA legend NASCAR team owner asserts Chase Elliott has been a ‘mid-pack driver everywhere’ in 2023

Chase Elliott (Via IMAGO)

Hendrick Motorsports’ Chase Elliott had a season to forget in the 2023 season. He failed to make it to the playoff for the first time in his Cup career and hasn’t yet won a single race this season. Based on these facts, JTG Daugherty Racing co-owner and former Cleveland Cavaliers star Brad Daugherty, who now also works as a NASCAR pundit, asserted that Elliott had been a mid-pack driver this year.

While talking about the penultimate race of the 2023 season, the Martinsville playoff race, and discussing the possibility of Elliott ending his dominant run, Daugherty gave the candid verdict. He admitted that despite the 2020 Cup champion having a pretty impressive resume at Martinsville, he would be surprised to see him dominate the event.

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He’s just kind of been mid-pack everywhere we go. He’s been great at Martinsville, but I don’t know who’s going to show up…I would be surprised if he has a dominating day there.

Brad Daugherty told NBC Sports.

The major reason for the poor spot Elliott has found himself in is his snowboarding accident ahead of the third race of the season. He was forced to sit out six events due to a tibia injury and also missed another race soon after his return due to a suspension. He came close to making it to the playoffs at the end of the season but couldn’t secure that all-important win, which gave Bubba Wallace a maiden post-season entry.

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Brad Daugherty explains the issue with Chase Elliott in 2023

The five-time NBA All-Star went on to explain why he thinks Elliott isn’t able to score wins despite being a strong contender in the owner’s championship. He pointed out that the No:9 team and driver lost the hunger to win. Daugherty believes Elliott and the team have already moved on and are preparing for 2024.   

Brad Daugherty
Brad Daugherty
He just doesn’t seem to have the fire and the desire that we’ve seen out of him to go to these racetracks and try to dominate…I think the season’s over for Chase Elliott, and I think they’ve kind of packed up and moved on.

Elliott has two more races still left to get that win, but with two Hendrick Motorsport drivers fighting for the championship, the team might prioritize them, at least to a certain extent. So, the better move for the No:9 team is to move on and be ready to secure wins and championship bound from the start of next season.

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