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2020 Cup Series champion Chase Elliott recently cleared the air and took the blame for the poor performance of the No. 9 team over the past year.
In a recent interview on Sirius XM NASCAR Radio published on X (formerly Twitter), Elliot shared that the blame for the challenges faced on the track should not fall on his crew chief, Alan Gustafson. He said:
"I don't feel like I have done a great job driving this car & a lot of tracks the way it wants to be driven and that's not Alan's fault."
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Alan Gustafson has been an essential member of Chase Elliott's team during the duo's last eight years together, with a total of 18 wins, a championship title, and an All-Star Race win.
The 28-year-old driver took the opportunity to emphasize the importance of their friendship and mutual strength to overcome obstacles together, saying:
"Years like last year are years that can absolutely blow up a team from the inside out and super proud that out friendship is as good as it's ever been."
Pointing out their determination, he added:
"Our will and desire to go out and run well is as high as it's ever been and our fight to just keep pushing and not give up is certainly there. We want to do it for each other."
Chase Elliott admitted the possibility that a hard season may affect team unity, and showed his pride in the strength of the No. 9 team through this difficult period.
"Bad years can tear apart and I am really proud of where our group is right now. I feel like we're in a good place and we're all ready to go to work and that's truly all I can ask for," Elliot said.
Chase Elliott shares his thoughts on the 2024 NASCAR Cup Series season
Chase Elliott sees the 2024 season as a chance to wash off the difficulties of his previous season.
Speaking to Frontstretch recently, the Hendrick Motorsports driver highlighted the importance of this new beginning for him. He said:
"There is this sense of a new opportunity and I'm appreciative of that. There's also a realistic understanding that your problems don't disappear because the calendar changed from 3 to 4."
Elliott showed his motivation, saying:
"So, we know that we need to be better and I know that I need to be better, and contend on continuing to build at what we were working on there last year."
