Chase Elliott left unsatisfied as HMS star continues his relentless pursuit after Martinsville

Hendrick Motorsports star Chase Elliott recently expressed his thoughts after an eventful Cook Out 400 event at Martinsville Speedway. The No. 9 Chevrolet driver secured another top-five result at the short track after his P4 at the Circuit of the Americas race.

In a bid to win the Grandfather clock in Virginia, Elliott, the 2020 Cup Series champion, started on the front row beside Joe Gibbs Racing driver Christopher Bell. While the 29-year-old held his track position among the frontrunners at the 0.5-mile asphalt track, he managed to finish eighth after Stage 1 and managed a runner-up spot after Stage 2. However, the final moments of the race became a battle between him and the eventual winner Denny Hamlin.

Nevertheless, after leading for 42 laps in the 2025 season's seventh race, NASCAR's Most Popular driver Elliott bagged a fourth-place finish at a track dominated by Hendrick Motorsports in the past years.

After a strong run, Elliott said in a post-race interview at Martinsville that he wished he could have done more.

"It was better, for sure," Chase Elliott said via Speedway Digest. "We got a little behind there. I wish I could have gotten Denny (Hamlin) in the second stage. We really, really needed control there. When you get into the second-half of these races, it just gets so hard to make ground up. You saw that with Christopher (Bell) pressuring Denny. It just means a lot to have control, and unfortunately I couldn't get that back for us. But overall, it was a really good effort by this No. 9 NAPA Auto Parts Chevrolet team. We had a really good Chevy today, but we just need a little bit more."

"Yeah, we'll see how the next couple of weeks go. But it was definitely nice to have a good day here today," added Chase Elliott.

Furthermore, the 19-time Cup race winner shared a carousel of pictures after his Martinsville race, appreciating his No. 9 machine and fans.

"Good car, great fans! P4 in Martinsville 👊🏼," wrote Elliott on X.

It has been 34 races since Elliott last drove to the victory lane. As the HMS driver's dry spell continues, NASCAR legend and Elliott's boss Jeff Gordon recently fired a bit of a warning shot at the No. 9 driver.

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"You've got to work": Jeff Gordon shared his thoughts on Chase Elliott

With four NASCAR Cup Series titles and 93 wins, Jeff Gordon has been the icon for Hendrick Motorsports. Now serving as the vice chairman of the winningest organization, Gordon shared his thoughts on Chase Elliott's performances in recent races. He said (via Jeff Gordon Online on X):

"You’re measuring yourself against the best out there. A lot of times that’s your own stable. If you’re not achieving what you want, then you’ve got to work, and you know that you’re not meeting expectations."

After seven eventful NASCAR Cup Series races, Chase Elliott has managed two top-fives and two top-10s. Moreover, he has climbed the points ladder and now sits at P3 behind teammates William Byron and Kyle Larson.

The No. 9 team will now head to the Goodyear 400 race at Darlington Raceway on April 6.