“Thrive in ‘25”: HMS senior leader comments on Chase Elliott’s ‘really good start’ amid Clash win

Chase Elliott kicked off his 2025 season on a high note by winning the pre-season Clash at Bowman Gray Stadium. The #9 Hendrick Motorsports driver received high praise from Team President and General Manager Jeff Andrews, who revealed the organization's motive to "thrive in '25."

Following a heat race win, Elliott started from pole position for the 200-lap Clash at the quarter-mile oval. He dominated the race, leading 171 of 200 laps in a classic short-track battle to hold off Joe Gibbs Racing's Denny Hamlin and a fast-charging Ryan Blaney from Team Penske to take the victory.

HMS President Jeff Andrews revealed that team owner Rick Hendrick set the team's motto to "Thrive in '25" during their kickoff luncheon. He added that Elliott and the #9 team delivered a "really good start" to their 2025 campaign. Andrews also praised Elliott for putting on a short-track classic with his impressive tire management skills.

"Yeah really good start. You know [we] start off by saying 'Thrive in '25'. That's what we started off our kickoff luncheon with earlier this week. Mr. Hendrick came up with that slogan for us this year. So that's a great way to start thriving in '25 with a win here." he told SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.

"What an event, I mean great job, hats off to NASCAR and everything that went into putting this event on and congratulations obviously to Alan [Gustafson], Chase and the entire NAPA team. Just great car for two days, very very good to see them be able to finish that off. Super proud of Chase the way he drove that race and managed his tires in that last segment. Just perfect short track classic Chase Elliott, really proud of him." he added.

After the Clash victory, Elliott will now set his sights on winning the Daytona 500, a feat previously achieved by his father, Bill Elliott in 1987. The Great American Race is scheduled for February 16.

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Chase Elliott reflects on tire management at Bowman Gray Stadium

Chase Elliott comfortably led from pole position until Denny Hamlin and Tyler Reddick overtook him near the halfway break. After the break, Elliott made a decisive move on Hamlin to reclaim the lead and expertly managed his tires to secure the victory.

The #9 Hendrick Motorsports driver elaborated that the team didn't make significant setup changes in the break. Instead, he focused on better tire management, which ultimately helped him fend off Ryan Blaney in the final laps of the race.

"I think I probably didn't save enough through the first hundred laps. I really wasn't sure how much to save. Sometimes when you're the leader in that scenario, you're kind of setting the pace, and those guys can judge off you how hard to run." he said in the press conference (via SpeedwayDigest.com)

"I think our balance could have been a little better, too. I do think we got our balance better for the second half. I think I did a little better job saving. I took my opportunity to try to get control of the race when I felt like I could. Didn't know if I was going to get another one, honestly." he added.

Elliott also praised Hamlin and Blaney for their tire management skills. Given the latter's strong performances at short tracks like Martinsville and Phoenix, he wasn’t surprised to see the #12 Penske driver charge through the field and acknowledged the threat Blaney poses.