"I think we've rode the horse to death": Rick Hendrick ace Chase Elliott makes opinion clear on Throwback Weekend

Modified Apr 06, 2025 01:47 GMT

NASCAR: Cup Practice and Qualifying - Source: Imagn

Chase Elliott didn't mince words when giving his thoughts on NASCAR continuing to do "Throwback Weekend" every year at the Darlington Raceway. The driver of the #9 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet believes the sport outplayed "Throwback Weekend" years ago, and it might be time to say goodbye to the yearly tradition.

When speaking to reporters on Saturday at the South Carolina track, the 2020 Cup Series champion was asked if he felt "Throwback Weekend" had lost its luster. The Dawsonville, Georgia native said he believed the tradition lost its luster four or five years ago and believes NASCAR has dragged it out for too many years.

"I was way too early to that conversation. Not to be a downer. I joked about this years ago, but if we kept going down the road, we're going to be throwing it back to me in like 2018. So, at some point, I think we've got to chill on it a little bit. I think we've rode the horse to death. We tend to do that a little bit too much," Chase Elliott said. (0:03 onwards)

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NASCAR's "Throwback Weekend" has been an annual tradition at Darlington Raceway since 2015. Every year, drivers and teams will pay homage to the sport's history by rolling out retro paint schemes that are often tributes to drivers of the past. Drivers and teams will often wear retro uniforms and hats for the weekend as well.

Elliott's throwback paint scheme for this year pays homage to former driver Ken Schrader. The #9 UniFirst Chevrolet is designed like Schrader's 1994 #25 Kodiak Chevrolet. Schrader drove for HMS from 1989 to 1996 and won two races with the organization in 1991.

Elliott will roll off 15th for Sunday's Goodyear 400 at Darlington. The 19-time Cup Series winner is seeking his first win of 2025 and his first win at Darlington. Chase Elliott's best finish at Darlington came in May 2023, when he scored a third-place finish.

Chase Elliott said he "almost" had Xfinity win at Martinsville

Chase Elliott will be behind the wheel of his familiar #9 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet for Sunday's NASCAR Cup Series race at Darlington. On Saturday, the HMS star partook in the Xfinity Series race and wheeled the #17 HMS machine to a second-place finish.

Elliott fell short to Brandon Jones in his quest for his seventh career Xfinity Series win. However, in an Instagram post, the 2014 Xfinity Series champion made it known that he enjoyed his return to the circuit.

"Damn that was fun! Almost had it. P2 to start our weekend at Darlington," Chase Elliott wrote.

Elliott is amid his 10th full-time season in the NASCAR Cup Series. After seven races, he sits third in the points standings. Elliott seeks a return to the Championship 4 this season after last making it in 2022.

About the author

John Breeden is a NASCAR content writer at Sportskeeda with over three years of sports journalism experience. His career began back in 2021, when he started writing for The Breeze - a student-run publication at James Madison University that covered a wide variety of collegiate sports. He graduated from JMU in May 2022 with a degree in media arts and design concentrating in journalism. He currently writes for his local publication, the Daily News-Record, in Harrisonburg, VA, where he covers a variety of sports at the high school and collegiate level.

John has been a lifelong NASCAR fan and has followed the sport closely since 2005. He stays informed on motorsports developments through social media, NASCAR.com, and NASCAR podcasts, which help him craft unique and engaging stories. Interviewing Hendrick Motorsports Vice Chairman Jeff Gordon at Martinsville Speedway was a career highlight for John, where he wrote about William Byron taking the famed No. 24 car back to the Championship 4.

Beyond motorsports, John enjoys writing about other sports such as football, baseball, and basketball. He believes that NASCAR could reach the global popularity of Formula 1 by expanding its audience with more international races and enhancing its mainstream appeal, just like F1 has done.

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Edited by Tushhita Barua