Fort Worth, Texas: Chase Elliott, NASCAR Most Popular driver, always has a microscope on him. Good or bad he will be looked at with more eyes because he is a fan favorite. Through the first 11 races of the year it has been a sprinkle of brilliance combined with the races that make fans scream an outpouring of frustration for not dominating.

However, Hendrick Motorsports has a new Chevy body. Kyle Larson and William Byron have been off to unusually inconsistent starts. Alex Bowman has missed races. Chase Elliott you could argue has been their best driver and on Sunday he just was.

Nobody would have bat an eye if Joe Gibbs Racing was a force to be reckon with and they were early. But Christopher Bell wrecked from the lead after Todd Gilliand spun in front of him. Ty Gibbs also crashed out early. Chase Briscoe suffered damage on pit road and could never recover. Denny Hamlin was solid but was always fighting the handling and the track itself and never really had the clear dominant car.

After a bundance of cautions Elliott found his way into the cat bird seat and he could control the race. Winning Stage 2 added 10 extra points to his total and with the combined win he has now leaped to 3rd in the points within striking distance of Hamlin in 2nd.

Alan Gustafson Deserves Credit

Outside of just being a Cup Crew Chief for HMS there is no bigger pressure than being the Crew Chief of the sports Most Popular Driver. Despite his success and resume he has never been considered one of the all time greats. But he has made a career working with multiple different drivers and won with all of them.

This season you can argue that Elliott is off to his best start of the year. A testament to Gustafson being able to wrap his head around the new body and Elliott for always keep his car clean no matter what.

What’s Ahead

The NASCAR circuit turns to Watkins Glen. Shane Van Gisbergen is the defending race winner. Can anyone take it to him once again?