“We Have to Go Be Almost Perfect”: Why Chase Elliott Is Focused on Avoiding Old Habits After Early Win

After years of leaving things late and backing himself into must-win scenarios, the Hendrick Motorsports star finally has the luxury of an early-season cushion in 2026. But rather than relaxing, Chase Elliott is doubling down on his performance, fully aware of how quickly momentum can slip under NASCAR’s evolving format.

Speaking to Kevin Harvick on the Happy Hour Podcast, the young driver knows what’s at stake and is more than ready to face the challenges head-on.

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“But I think it’s more like, ‘Hey, you have a really nice runway and opportunity to build on this throughout the rest of the season,’” Elliott told Harvick. “And I feel like in a lot of years past, it seems like we have gotten to the last 10 or 15 and we’ve really had to, we’ve gotten ourselves in positions where it’s like, man, we have to go be almost perfect.”

That line from Elliott hits harder when you look at the numbers and the timing. For years, Elliott’s seasons have followed a familiar script: steady and consistent, but often missing that early knockout punch. Instead, the No. 9 team would come alive late, forcing itself into a corner where every race felt like a must-win. That ‘old way’ he’s talking about is not hypothetical—it’s exactly how his recent seasons have played out.

Elliott did win in 2025, but not when it mattered most in terms of breathing room. His first points-paying victory came mid-season at Atlanta, followed by another in the playoffs at Kansas.

That meant he spent a big chunk of the year chasing, not controlling, the narrative. It was effective, sure, but it also left zero margin for error once the playoffs began.

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Now compare that to 2026, and the shift is obvious. The 30-year-old driver grabbed his first win at the Cook Out 400 at Martinsville, just the seventh race of the season, marking the earliest win of his Cup career. That victory didn’t just add a trophy; it changed the entire complexion of his season.

Through the opening stretch, he is already sitting inside the top five in points, with a win and 4 top-10 finishes. Notably, that Martinsville triumph was also Hendrick Motorsports’ first win of the 2026 season, making him the early standard-bearer for the entire organization.

But with this new twist in the story, with an early victory setting the tone, Elliott understands the pressure to perform and isn’t backing away from the challenge.

“And that can be a difficult place to be. Now, fortunately, we’ve done an okay job at that, but it is nice to kind of get on the front end, establish a little bit of a foundation of success early in the year, and who knows where the year goes,” he added.

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And here is where it gets interesting. With NASCAR reverting to a more consistency-based Chase format in 2026, where wins don’t automatically guarantee playoff spots, the importance of stacking results early becomes even greater.

That is exactly what Elliott stresses. His early win helps, but it is no longer a golden ticket. That means his warning about needing to be almost perfect still applies, but now it’s about maintaining momentum rather than desperately creating it.

Elliott knows exactly what happens when you leave things late, and now, with the NASCAR Cup Series heading to Kansas, it can be said with much certainty that he will be looking to build on his newfound breakthrough.

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Can Elliott extend his hold over Kansas?

When it comes to Chase Elliott and Kansas Speedway, the story is a mix of clutch brilliance and quiet inconsistency, which makes predicting this weekend very interesting.

Starting with the big headline, Elliott is the most recent winner at Kansas. In the 2025 playoff race, he pulled off a dramatic late charge, going from 10th to 1st on a restart, to steal the win and advance in the postseason. That wasn’t just luck either; he led laps and showed race-winning pace when it mattered the most.

But here is where it gets tricky. Kansas hasn’t historically been his most dominant track. Outside of the 2025 win, his results tend to fluctuate, remaining good but not overwhelming.

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You’ll see top 10 runs, the occasional top five, and then the odd race where he fades. Compare that to someone like his teammate Kyle Larson, who has been outright dominant here recently, and Elliott looks more like a contender than a favorite.

So while Elliott has an edge over Kyle Larson when it comes to a race win this year, he will have to give it his all to overcome his streak of bad luck at Kansas Speedway.