Chase Elliott ‘extraordinarily proud’ as No.9 team wins – Sports News
Chase Elliott did not win a Cup Series championship for Hendrick Motorsports this 12 months, however the people who keep his car in prime situation in order that he can compete weekin and week out did.
The No. 9 Hendrick Motorsports crew turned a playoff season into a 2025 Mechanix Wear Most Valuable Pit Crew title. Elliott‘s team additionally ranked on the prime of the pit crew standings for the complete common season.Elliott stays atop of NASCAR reputation charts, regardless of who does not like him
Historically, the award and its $100,000 prize has gone to the team that meets or surpasses efficiency standards during the Cup Series playoffs. Last season, Alex Bowman’s pit crew acquired the award, however errors by the identical crew this 12 months led to level deductions within the playoffs.
The award is evaluated utilizing a detailed set of metrics that think about pit-stop pace, positions gained or misplaced, and efficiency beneath stress. Even Elliott has been impressed together with his crew’s efficiency all through the season and was current on the NASCAR Awards at 12 months’s finish.
“I’m extremely proud of our whole group,” Elliott stated. “They did an exceptional job all year, and I’ve touched on how impressed I was at Phoenix. The drive to continue working hard and laying it all out there, even when we weren’t in the playoffs.”
“They had an incredible performance on pit road and an amazing way to cap off the season. I’m extremely grateful for their attitude, their approach, and how they pick me up when I’m down. Whatever it takes, they rise to the occasion.” Elliott additionally famous that his crew earned the award regardless of the pit-stall disadvantages they confronted all through the season.
“To have won that award with some of the pit stalls they had this year probably won’t get talked about, but it should,” he stated. “They were put in some horrendous positions throughout the season and still showed why they’re top tier.” Elliott additionally claimed his eighth straight National Motorsports Press Association Most Popular Driver Award.
He praised the management of crew chief Alan Gustafson, now in his twenty first season with Hendrick Motorsports and the longest-tenured crew chief within the team’s historical past. Gustafson, who guided Jeff Gordon earlier than becoming a member of Elliott in 2016, owns 39 wins, 205 top-five finishes, and 356 prime 10s as a pit boss.
The entire crew of the No. 9 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet contains: front-tire changer Nick O’Dell, rear-tire changer Calvin Teague, tire provider Jared Erspamer, jackman TJ Semke, and fueler John Gianninoto.
“The award means a lot. It’s nice to be recognized for something that we work very hard at every single week and in the offseason,” stated Gianninoto. “I think from day one of being together, we knew that we would gel well together.”
“Behind the scenes, we’ve learned how we can encourage each other the right way through teamwork and communication. It’s nice to know everyone has each other’s back, and after enough time together, it feels like pitting with brothers.”
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