Chase Elliott's "taking it personal" approach aims to end winless drought ahead of NASCAR's Texas Cup race

The Cook Out 400 at the Martinsville Speedway saw Hendrick Motorsports driver Chase Elliott seemingly take his P3 finish to his heart after he failed to capitalize on the remaining two laps of the 415-lap run to disrupt his winless streak.

The eighth Cup Series weekend witnessed the #9 Chevy driver bagging his second consecutive top-5 finish after a dismal footing into the season. His teammate William Byron registered his third win of the year, followed by Kyle Larson in P2. For HMS, the Sunday ended on probably the highest note as their triplets came home with a 1-2-3 finish.

The Georgian native kicked off his run from the P3 spot and gained the lead over the pack during Lap 413. However, with just two laps until the checkered flag dropped, his teammates swooped past in their Chevrolet-powered cars, finishing ahead of Chase Elliott.

Finishing third despite having the lead at Lap 413 would've apparently stung the 28-year-old and according to Josh Sims from Fox Sports and SiriusXM's Davey Segal, this very moment could serve as a base for ending the 2020 Cup Series champion's winless drought since the 2023 season.

During the discussion, Sims said (0.49):

"Chase has really taken it to heart and worked harder...when you see your teammates Kyle Larson and William Byron going out there dominating, you take that type of stuff personally and it looks like to that point Chase is taking it personal and he's starting to get back to the point where he's obviously clicking."

Chase Elliott on his "positive" Martinsville outing despite losing the lead in the closing laps

The previous year was arguably the worst season for the HMS driver so far. Not only did Elliott get trapped in a snowboarding incident that fractured his tibia and cost him six Cup Series races, but his season ended at the worst rank ever at P17.

With his entry into the 2024 season, the #9 Chevrolet Camaro driver eyed a promising outcome but failed to find his mojo until the seventh Cup Series race at the Richmond Raceway. With his P5 finish on the 0.75-mile asphalt, Chase Elliott broke the streak of being the only Hendrick Motorsports driver in the current season who didn't have a top-5 finish.

A victory at the next run on the Martinsville Speedway was about to go into Elliott's hands. Still, he couldn't maintain his lead over William Byron and Kyle Larson who later overtook him for a 1-2 finish, respectively.

Post his near miss at Martinsville, Chase Elliott highlighted the "positive" side of the outing, saying (via SiriusXM NASCAR Radio on X):

"We'll see as the weeks continue to pluck off, where we go from here. But I feel like it's been better. Certainly having a shot to win the race in the last restart, it's a positive for us."

Elliott is currently sixth in the Drivers' Championship in the NASCAR Cup Series.