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2020 NASCAR Cup Series champion Chase Elliott might be happy with his performances in the 2022 season of the sport, but will not be content.
The #9 NAPA Auto Parts Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 driver looked in immaculate form throughout the 2022 season to reach the Championship four based on points. The title decider in Avondale, Arizona, however, saw Joey Logano lift the trophy as champion, not Elliott.
With the sport seeing a paradigm shift in the way a stock car is built with the first year of Next Gen NASCAR behind us, parity is one thing the new formula has definitely bought to the table. In a season that witnessed 19 different winners, the statistics, however misleading they may be, don't lie in this case.
Chase Elliott's consistency despite the unknowns of a new car meant he did manage to clinch the regular season championship. Another statistic that further solidifies the parity introduced in the sport, however, is the number of laps led by the Hendrick Motorsports driver.
Elliott managed to lead a total of 857 laps led, followed by Joey Logano at 784 and William Byron at 746. No driver managed to lead for more than 1000 total laps in 2022, an occurrence that last happened in the sport 62 years ago in the 1960 season. Statistics might not be the best way to gage a driver's performance over a year, but the Next Gen car and the level of parity in NASCAR do seem to be conveyed rather well by the above.
Chase Elliott to join Travis Pastrana in Nitro Rallycross in the off-season
Hendrick Motorsports driver Chase Elliott is all set to make his second appearance alongside rallycross racer Travis Pastrana in the Nitro Rallycross series this month. After ending the 2022 NASCAR Cup Series season not as well as he would have hoped, the Dawsonville, Georgia native was keen to spend some time away from stock car racing, as he informed the media in Arizona.
Elliott elaborated on the experience of driving a vastly different car to a stock car in the rallycross series and said:
“I appreciate Travis and everybody for having me, ASHOC is kind to let me expand my horizons on getting outside of my comfort zone. It’s been a lot of fun and I appreciate their partnership. The learning curve’s been steep. I’ve never driven a car like this before, so that’s a little different.”
Watch Chase Elliott return to stock car racing next year in February as NASCAR goes live from the LA Memorial Coliseum for the Clash at the Coliseum.
