- Joined
- May 8, 2002
- Posts
- 463,981
- Reaction score
- 44
Chase Elliott snapped a 42-race winless streak at Texas in 2024. He hasn’t won since, or 37 races ago. While the 2020 NASCAR Cup Series champion understandably has fond memories of his last visit to the 1.5-mile track in the Lone Star State, don’t mistake that for liking the track and how it races.
During a conference call with the media on Wednesday, a reporter asked the Hendrick Motorsports driver why the track hasn’t widened out since the repave in 2017 and informed him how Noah Gragson suggested it’s because the circuit is not near a beach and the salty air.
“It's interesting because Kansas isn't near a beach either," Elliott noted. “And it's widened out quite a lot. So I see his point on that, for sure. When you look at Darlington and Homestead and I could see the argument that that might speed some things up from an aging perspective.
Chase Elliott (R) and Kyle Larson talk to media at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum.Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images
“But I really think it really comes down to how the track was designed and they, instead of making chicken salad, I think they went the other way. It was a shame to see what it was and how good it was.
"And I just think that that track was designed a certain way, back whenever it was years ago to be a certain thing and its distance and the banking and all of that engineering that went into it. And what they did for the shape of the track, it's gonna be tough. Will it ever widen out? I don't know. I could see three and four maybe widening out some, but it's just so fast. You're still running a lot of throttle on that end.
"So, I don't know. As much as I talk bad about it, I want it to be good. I want it to be successful. I want it to widen out. I want it to be fun. I used to love going to Texas. I just went on with it has not been the most fun track and I hope that at some point down the road it will widen out or we can find a way to make it widen out or find a way to reconfigure something to help push it in that direction."
Elliott’s HMS teammate, Kyle Larson, visited with reporters before practice and qualifying at Texas and was asked about his opinion on the track.
“It really hasn't changed at all on the past handful years,” the 2021 Cup champ suggested. “So, yeah, it's not the best racetrack but it's unique enough that it's different and it's a challenge. So there's that positivity to it. But, yeah, they didn't do a good job with the remodeling.”
Interestingly, HMS drivers have won three of the last four Texas races: Elliott in 2024, William Byron in 2023, and Larson in 2021.
Continue reading...
During a conference call with the media on Wednesday, a reporter asked the Hendrick Motorsports driver why the track hasn’t widened out since the repave in 2017 and informed him how Noah Gragson suggested it’s because the circuit is not near a beach and the salty air.
“It's interesting because Kansas isn't near a beach either," Elliott noted. “And it's widened out quite a lot. So I see his point on that, for sure. When you look at Darlington and Homestead and I could see the argument that that might speed some things up from an aging perspective.
You must be registered for see images attach
Chase Elliott (R) and Kyle Larson talk to media at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum.Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images
“But I really think it really comes down to how the track was designed and they, instead of making chicken salad, I think they went the other way. It was a shame to see what it was and how good it was.
"And I just think that that track was designed a certain way, back whenever it was years ago to be a certain thing and its distance and the banking and all of that engineering that went into it. And what they did for the shape of the track, it's gonna be tough. Will it ever widen out? I don't know. I could see three and four maybe widening out some, but it's just so fast. You're still running a lot of throttle on that end.
"So, I don't know. As much as I talk bad about it, I want it to be good. I want it to be successful. I want it to widen out. I want it to be fun. I used to love going to Texas. I just went on with it has not been the most fun track and I hope that at some point down the road it will widen out or we can find a way to make it widen out or find a way to reconfigure something to help push it in that direction."
Elliott’s HMS teammate, Kyle Larson, visited with reporters before practice and qualifying at Texas and was asked about his opinion on the track.
“It really hasn't changed at all on the past handful years,” the 2021 Cup champ suggested. “So, yeah, it's not the best racetrack but it's unique enough that it's different and it's a challenge. So there's that positivity to it. But, yeah, they didn't do a good job with the remodeling.”
Interestingly, HMS drivers have won three of the last four Texas races: Elliott in 2024, William Byron in 2023, and Larson in 2021.
Related: Chase Elliott Admits He and Other Drivers Looked Like a Bunch of Clowns at Talladega
Related: Kyle Larson Says Ty Gibbs Is Example of NASCAR Xfinity Series Not Developing Drivers
Related: Kyle Larson Says Ty Gibbs Is Example of NASCAR Xfinity Series Not Developing Drivers
Continue reading...
