Chase Elliott Hit With “Overrated” Tag As NASCAR Fans Revolt Over Cup Series Struggles

Among the Hendrick Motorsports stars, Chase Elliott is possibly the most visible. Nothing less is expected from the reigning Most Popular Driver, who charms his fans with his demure attitude in interviews. However, all things may not be hunky dory for the 2020 Cup Series champion on the racetrack. The 2025 season is progressing with a good amount of spotlight on his teammates, but not on Elliott himself.

Kyle Larson, for instance, has already clinched three race trophies at Homestead, Bristol, and Kansas. William Byron won the Daytona 500 and regularly contends for wins. Meanwhile, however, Chase Elliott’s prospects look concerning to fans with a fresh set of stats.

The bitter truth about Chase Elliott’s run

Well, there is plenty to appreciate about the No. 9 HMS Chevrolet team. Since the 2024 Cup Series playoffs, Chase Elliott has been consistently collecting top fives and top tens. In 2025, he remains the only driver to finish within the top 20 in all 14 races so far, with no DNFs in sight. However, behind this dazzling image lies some harsh truths. Despite his good finishes, Elliott has not fared according to the champion-level expectations that people have about him. He has only led 76 laps, a dwindling number in comparison to his teammate Kyle Larson’s 851. He has clinched only three top-fives through 14 races, which is hardly becoming of a 19-time Cup Series race winner like Elliott.

Now, more concerning stats have emerged to further prove that Chase Elliott is in a downsurge. In an X post by Auto Racing Analytics, Chase Elliott ranks among the drivers with the worst restarts. He has lost 31 restart positions to be precise till date in the 2025 Cup Series season. Elliott’s peers in these stats are not the highest race contenders, like Austin Dillon’s No. 2 or Cody Ware’s No. 51. So Auto Racing Analytics made the sentiment clear in its caption: “Some of these I really think it’s okay to have patience with, but there’s at least one on here I think it’s time to have a real conversation about. What stands out to you?”

Current Drivers with the Worst Restart Numbers in the Cup Series

Some of these I really think it’s okay to have patience with, but there’s at least one on here I think it’s time to have a real conversation about. What stands out to you? pic.twitter.com/IHLh5vuCGr

— Auto Racing Analytics (@AR_Analytics) June 4, 2025

The ominous signs were prevalent since the start of 2025. After the Homestead race, Chase Elliott stood 6th in the points standings. Meanwhile, his HMS teammates occupied the top three. The restart problem surfaced at Kansas Speedway, a racetrack where Elliott led laps and looked poised to snap his year-long winless streak. He could execute a good restart at the end of stage 2, fending off Kyle Larson and Brad Keselowski. However, a bad restart ensued during a caution for Brad Keselowski’s flat tire. The No. 9 team made the mistake of securing the right-rear wheel loosely, leading to a 14-second pit stop.

The stats further make it clear that Chase Elliott has not fared well in general. This ended up shocking NASCAR fans, who took shots at Elliott.

Elliott does not get comfort from his fans

After all, the 7-time Most Popular Driver award winner has a lot of work to maintain his star status. The last time Chase Elliott visited Victory Lane was during the 2024 Texas Cup series race. The 14-month gap has left a gap of doubt in his own fans. Amidst the new stats surfacing, one fan wrote, “It’s almost as if Chase Elliott is the most overrated driver in the Cup series. And I say this as a HMS fan.” Elliott carried a lot of expectation at Nashville Superspeedway, a racetrack where he won the 2022 race and finished 4th in 2023. So his 16th-place finish was a dampener for another fan: “Think Elliot lost all 31 restart spots in Nashville. Bum.” With Jeff Gordon having to console the community about Elliott’s falling pace, things did not look good from the start of 2025. However, one fan was very surprised about this dire state of affairs. They wrote, “Wow. When you said #9 was bad, I didn’t think it was this BAD.”

More loyal HMS fans traced out different reasons for Chase Elliott’s lack of pace. The No. 9 Chevy driver has time and again emphasized how the Next-Gen car makes things difficult. Even Kyle Busch has compared his own miserable stats with Elliott’s position. So one fan wrote, “Chase is not built for this car. He’s an old soul driver. He would have excelled in a Gen 4 or prior. He’s like his dad or a Mark Martin or Jeff Burton type driver. He’s a calculator. Today’s car requires the Hocevar / Chastain type style.” Additionally, Elliott lacks the aggressive attitude that drivers like Ross Chastain utilize to the fullest extent. So somebody else wrote, “Chase isn’t an aggressive driver and this car rewards aggression especially on restarts. He’s passive and gets taken advantage of.”

Evidently, the alarm bells are ringing for Chase Elliott in the NASCAR Cup series. Let us see when the HMS star can redeem his falling stats.

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