“Right now he’s in conversation of Miss Congeniality”: Kyle Petty questions Chase Elliott’s season so far in 2024

One of the stories of the season so far is Chase Elliott's return to form after what was a dismal campaign in the previous year. The Hendrick Motorsports driver won at Texas earlier this year, ending his winless streak.

And after the recent race at Iowa, Elliott became the points leader. But there's more to his statistics than what meets the eye, something Kyle Petty recently discussed on PRNLive.

The former NASCAR driver mentioned that one can rattle off the top 5s and the top 10s. Petty pointed to the statistic that was mentioned on TV during the Iowa race, which was of Chase Elliott having the most top 20 finishes.

Petty dismissed that statistic, claiming it was "made up".

"Point is, he’s not had the looks at wins that William Byron has had this year. He’s not had the looks at wins that Ryan Blaney has had. He’s not had the looks that Kyle Larson has. When you get upfront and lead those laps and at least see victory lane, you’re in the conversations. Right now he’s in the conversation of Miss Congeniality. He’s the most consistent guy out there right now," Petty said [at 5:35].

As for Elliott being the leader in points, Kyle Petty mentioned that it was due to Kyle Larson missing a race (Coca-Cola 600). Petty wondered how the points leader situation would have been, had Larson not missed the race.

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Chase Elliott on the right time in the season to hit 'home runs'

Ahead of the race at Iowa, after which he became the points leader, Chase Elliott spoke about the #9 team and the importance of peaking at the right time.

Elliott said the #9 team is "a really solid group" top to bottom, and everyone is committed to finding the absolute best they can. The #9 driver claimed despite their consistent results in and around the top 10, they are yet to hit their peak, something that excites him. Speaking after the Iowa race, Elliot said (as per NASCAR):

"I think that’s OK too, because it’s only halfway through the year and, as we all know, the way this playoff situation is now, you want to be good in those last 10 — and really like the last five."

The trick, according to Chase Elliott, is to be good enough from the Round of 8, and still not be "spectacular." According to the 2020 Cup champion, a driver has to be spectacular in the last three or four weeks of the season.

Elliott claimed that it's about having a solid foundation with consistent results that can later allow one to capitalize towards the closing stages of the Championship.

“So it’s really just about having a solid enough base to get you through there and then really try to hit home runs in those last few if you can,” he added.