Chase Elliott vows to "Keep Scratching" for first NASCAR Cup win of the season after near miss to William Byron at Martinsville

Former Cup champion Chase Elliott has reflected optimism towards his winless streak following an impressive Martinsville display.

It has been over a year and a half since fans last saw Hendrick Motorsports race Chase Elliott in the victory lane. The fan-favorite driver, who won the NASCAR Cup Series championship in 2020, last won a race in Talladega in October 2022, before going on to deliver a career-low season last year.

Elliott, who suffered a snowboarding accident in March, failed to qualify for the Cup playoffs for the first time in his career. The six-time NASCAR's Most Popular Driver also failed to register a win for the first time since 2017.

Aiming to revitalize his form, Chase Elliott has now delivered back-to-back top-5 finishes in Richmond and Martinsville. The most recent Cook Out 400 race at Martinsville Speedway was a historic occasion for Elliott and Hendrick Motorsports, as it was the first time three drivers of the same outfit secured a 1-2-3 finish. The 28-year-old, who finished third, stated after the race:

"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."

"So, just need to keep working hard, and keep scratching and calling, and hopefully have one go out way sometime."

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Chase Elliott on failing to defend his lead versus teammate William Byron in Martinsville

Elliott, who started his race from third position, found himself at the front of the pack in overtime. Securing the lead in the 413th lap of the 415-lapped short-track race, the Hendrick Motorsports driver shortly gave in to William Byron, ultimately settling for a third-place finish.

Speaking to the media after the race, Chase Elliott addressed his finish, stating (via Frontstretch):

"We got came off, four there in the zone, I had an okay jump. Just couldn't make it stick on the outside, got into three and tried to root him up off the bottom and went to get the power down to get up underneath him and I just couldn't do it."

"I tried to run in really hard into one and roll a little bit of a diamond and couldn't make that stick either," he added.

After eight races in the ongoing season, Chase Elliott is ranked eighth in the NASCAR Cup Series standings. He has 258 points to himself, courtesy of recent performances on the short tracks in Bristol, Richmond and Martinsville.