Chase Elliott started the Cook Out 400 from 13th, battled his way through the field, and eventually finished fifth. It wasn’t the kind of result a legendary organization like Hendrick Motorsports would outright celebrate. But after months of frustration with the Chevrolet cars, Elliott saw something more important in this strong result, especially with the Chase just two races away.
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For the No. 9 team, Richmond’s result offered a chance to finally start rebuilding momentum after what’s been a difficult few months for HMS. He admitted as much in an interview with reporter Dustin Long after the race on Saturday, 12 August.
“You just kind of have to start stacking some small victories together. I feel like to get something in the right direction, I hope that that was, you know, tonight was an indication of that course. I thought it was a really solid effort with room for improvement. I felt like I made a couple mistakes, had a couple hiccups on pit road. So to know that we can not be perfect, but to get out of here with the top five, I think is really encouraging,” Elliott said to Long.
The No. 9 team had been searching for answers since Elliott’s victory at Texas Motor Speedway on May 3. That win appeared to put the Hendrick driver in a strong position heading into the summer. But afterward, the results turned inconsistent.
Elliott went 12 consecutive races without another top-five finish. During that stretch, he managed only one top-10 result: a seventh-place finish at Nashville Superspeedway.
The slump became even more concerning heading into Richmond. Elliott had finished outside the top 10 in nine consecutive races. It was the longest such streak of his Cup Series career. That’s exactly what made Saturday night different.
The No. 9 Chevrolet quickly worked its way into the top 10 during the opening stage, with Elliott picking up two stage points and giving the team an early sign of its competitive pace. He continued his charge in Stage 2, finishing second and adding four more points to his tally. More importantly, the Hendrick Motorsports car remained competitive as the laps wore on instead of fading, with Elliott’s strongest run coming in the closing stages.
Over the final 170 laps, crew chief Alan Gustafson and the No. 9 team executed their strategy effectively by pitting late on Lap 363, unlike Christopher Bell, who opted for a one-pit-stop strategy by pitting early.
Elliott gained another two positions before taking the checkered flag in fifth. That made him the highest-finishing Chevrolet driver of the night.
By finishing fifth at Richmond Raceway, Elliott also officially secured his spot in the Chase, which begins in three weeks. He now sits tied for sixth in the Cup Series standings. There was also reason for Hendrick Motorsports to feel encouraged as a whole.
All four of Hendrick Motorsports’ Chevrolets finished inside the top 10 at Richmond, with Kyle Larson’s strong run helping him climb to eighth in the standings. William Byron, meanwhile, remains comfortably above the playoff cutline in 12th, although he drops one spot overall.
For Chase Elliott, though, the biggest takeaway was much simpler. Richmond didn’t require perfection. He made mistakes, the team had its share of hiccups, and yet the No. 9 still came away with a fifth-place finish. After months of searching for momentum, that may have been the small victory Elliott needed.