It's Time for Chase and Alan to Break Up

We’ve seen the memes and we’ve heard the pundits talk.

Chase Elliott still hasn’t won a race in the NASCAR Monster Energy Cup Series. I know I’m tired of hearing it and wish Elliott would just win already to shut down the haters.

Before the season started, I said Elliott needed to get more aggressive and fight harder for positions to compete for wins.

Last year, Elliott finished second a frustrating five times. This year, he’s only finished there once at Richmond, but he’s been less of a presence overall along with his Hendrick Motorsports stablemates.

Six top-10 finishes in 14 races is OK by most measures. But for Elliott, whose chip on his shoulder is only growing larger by the race, this is simply unacceptable.

And that’s why I say unless he wins at Michigan this weekend, it’s time for Elliott to part ways with crew chief Alan Gustafson.

Gustafson has had great seasons with the likes of Kyle Busch, Mark Martin and Jeff Gordon. But for some reason, he has not found that winning level of success with Elliott.

I have no doubt Elliott can still be a leading face of NASCAR given his racing lineage, but in order to be that face, he needs visits to victory lane, and a crew chief change would change the team’s dynamic immensely.

Crew chief changes are nothing to scoff at. They can make or break teams. While Elliott can be safely labeled as a good driver, a change on top of the pit box could make him a great driver, a championship caliber driver.

When Steve Letarte became Dale Earnhardt Jr.’s crew chief in 2011, Earnhardt became a factor for the championship again and got back into victory lane after a four-year dry spell.

Kyle Busch’s postseason prowess grew when he was paired with Adam Stevens in 2015, the same year he won his first championship. Today, he remains a championship threat as he rides high on four wins in 2018.

A crew chief switch could benefit the younger Hendrick drivers Elliott, Alex Bowman and William Byron. If you ask me, I say Greg Ives would be the best fit for Elliott. He and Elliott won the Xfinity Series championship in 2014 and there’s no reason to suggest pairing them again would be bad for business.