After 16 of 36 races in 2025, Chase Elliott sits fourth in the regular season standings. While he remains winless, the driver of the No. 9 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet has finished inside the top 20 in every single race this year and holds the third-best average finish of all drivers.

Unless there were suddenly several new winners over the next ten weeks, his place in the playoffs is very secure, so how would he rate his season so far? Elliott agrees that it’s been a “good” season for him, but “it’s not where I want to be, no doubt.”

Chase Elliott, Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet

Photo by: Jam Media / Getty Images

He continued: “I think for us there have been some high spots and to be honest, there have been weeks where we have run well where we have had a good finish, and there have been weeks where we have not had a good finish and I can go home and be like, ‘man, we were in the mix, and we had good pace today’.

“And those are the weeks where you just want to feel like you are in the ball game as it pertains to pace, doing the right things, and getting up in there and giving yourself a shot. Those days I can go home and have something to be proud of. It’s the days and weekends where we are just not even relevant that I think are the most frustrating to me. We have had more of those than I would want to have and that we would want to have as a team. So, I think it’s been good but not satisfactory for myself or to our team, but there is still a lot of racing left in the season and I think we have ourselves in a position to make a mediocre day alright. We can build from it, and we still have a chance.”

And while consistency is nice, Elliott was quick to note hoe the current format is all about winning, especially if you want to go very far in the playoffs.

“It’s way more important to win and to get those Playoff points in fives than to have to wait till the end of the regular season and maybe get eight or ten, depending on where you finish in the points,” explained Elliott. “So, you need to have some wins, and you need to finish good in the points and then kind of double down on that to get yourself in a really good spot. The consistency is nice, no question. I think our team has done a really good job taking some of those days where we were not having a good day, and digging in, and finding a way to just get something halfway decent out of it. Sometimes that can be a really hard thing to do, and I am really proud of them for that. Because it’s easy to throw in the towel on those days, just lose it and be done and go try again next week. But we as a whole, we don’t know any better and we just keep trying, keep pushing, and make the most out of whatever the day has brought us.”

What Elliott needs to be better

Christopher Bell, Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota, Shane van Gisbergen, Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet, Chase Elliott, Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet

Photo by: Sean Gardner / Getty Images

While Elliott’s pace has been solid, he’s rarely had winning pace. Teammates William Byron and Kyle Larson have both led over 750 laps this year while Elliott has yet to reach 100 (currently at 95 laps led). Surprisingly, even teammate Alex Bowman, who is a bit further down the standings in 12th, has led more laps than Elliott. 

In a Saturday media availability, Elliott was asked about the gap between himself and his teammates. He believes the major thing he needs to fix in order to bridge the gap is to get better at qualifying. All three of his teammates have earned at least one pole position this year while Elliott’s best start came at Martinsville. Starting second, he went on to lead 42 laps and finish fourth in one of his best showings of the year.

“I think there are a lot of things that go into that. It’s a little bit of everything truthfully, but I think probably the biggest one, is qualifying,” said Elliott. “You know I think the qualifying thing is so important and an area that I have struggled in. No doubt. So, when I look at some of the races … I look at Michigan, I think Michigan is a good example. We got ourselves up front and when that happened, I thought we were super competitive.

“It was like night and day from running around 10th to 20th and just a lot of traffic, and starting runs in traffic and it can just really dictate what your car drives like. So, I think being up front, having a really good pit stall, keeping yourself up there, it can change the complexion of your day in such a large way that it can really be overlooked. So, I think that would be really top of mind for me as I look at what is one thing that we can do to help ourselves, and I think that is probably it.” 

Fresh off his first podium finish of the year in Mexico City, Elliott now heads to Pocono where he won the Cup race back in 2022. He’s also running the Xfinity race this weekend — and started things off on a high note by earning pole position for the event.

A week after a heated exchange with veteran Ricky Stenhouse Jr. and a fine from his team for posting a controversial social media take on the Mexico City race weekend, Spire Motorsports’ Carson Hocevar faced the media Saturday morning at Pocono (Pa.) Raceway and conceded he could have handled things a little better in both instances.

“Yes,” he conceded, he fully expects Stenhouse to exact revenge after a dust-up the two had on track in Mexico – the second time Stenhouse has been miffed at the 22-year-old in a race. And “yes,” Hocevar said, posting a negative review online before actually getting a chance to experience Mexico, was also wrong. Both things are a learning experience.

Hocevar, who drives the No. 77 Spire Motorsports Chevrolet, said he had not yet spoken with Stenhouse since the trip to Mexico, but doubted, at this point, there was anything he could say that would make a difference to the veteran as they came to Pocono for Sunday’s The Great American Getaway 400 (2 p.m. ET on Amazon Prime, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).

“I feel like we have a good relationship or had one,” Hocevar said. “I was just running behind him, just kind of logging laps and just locked up in a very dumb spot. And it was just so dumb, really. Just a mistake that didn’t need to happen and didn’t want it to happen.

“But there’s nothing that I could do or say. You know, I can’t buy him a Hallmark card and, really make things better. So, it sucks. It sucks for me because he’s the only NASCAR driver that owns a sprint car team, and I love sprint cars. So, it sucks because I want to go talk to him about sprint cars. So, yeah, hopefully everything can be set, but I know that the scorecard has me ahead right now, unfortunately.”

As for the social media post, initially uncomplimentary of his early Mexico experience, Hocevar was fined $50,000 by his Spire Motorsports team. He explained that his words were written before really having an opportunity to explore Mexico City.

“The issue wasn’t for the team having their kind of frustrations that I’m giving my opinion and putting it out there – it’s just the fact that, you know, my opinion wasn’t my opinion,” Hocevar said. “It was just based off everything else, you know, that I’ve heard or seen, right? I didn’t go do my own homework and voice my own opinion. I didn’t give it a shot. I didn’t give it a chance. I didn’t go walk around. I didn’t go see it.

“When I did then hindsight’s 20/20, then I have my own opinion. But I’ve already put it out there. So, I think that was the biggest thing was like — I wasn’t doing what I pride myself of doing. I was just having my own opinion, putting it out there and being me. I just didn’t give it a fair shot, so I think that’s where it all stems from.”

LONG POND, Pa. (AP) — Carson Hocevar walked around Pocono Raceway without a scratch on his face. His polo shirt looked more tailored than tattered and the Spire Motorsports driver was ready to race rather than rumble.

Ricky Stenhouse Jr. hadn’t socked Hocevar with a right hook quite yet — hot on the heels of Stenhouse’s threat to beat up his racing rival after last weekend’s race in Mexico City — leaving the next shot at any potential retaliation inside or outside the cars set for Sunday’s NASCAR race.

Hocevar should walk with his head on a swivel because Stenhouse can throw a right hook.

Just ask Kyle Busch, who suffered a crushing TKO loss when he clashed with Stenhouse after last year’s All-Star race.

Get ready! The Pounding at Pocono could be just another round in the ongoing feud between Stenhouse and Hocevar.

“He probably will be looking over his shoulder for a long time,” Stenhouse said Saturday at Pocono. “We’ll see how that goes.”

Hocevar has to look over his shoulder — and for that charging Chevrolet in his rearview mirror.

“The scorecard has it that I I’m getting something from the 47 at some point, right? And I think my team and everybody kind of knows that,” Hocevar said.

Their beef has little chance of getting squashed any time soon, a dispute that started three races ago when Hocevar wrecked Stenhouse early at Nashville. Hocevar sent Stenhouse spinning last week in Mexico City, which ignited the postrace melee on pit road.

Stenhouse seemed to grab at Hocevar as he spoke to him, then slapped at his helmet as Stenhouse walked away.

Hocevar’s in-car camera captured audio of the confrontation.

“I’m going to beat your (behind),” Stenhouse threatened. “You’re a lap down, you’ve got nothing to do. Why you run right into me? It’s the second time. I’m going to beat your (behind) when we get back to the States.”

Hocevar avoided a smackdown from Stenhouse but his Spire team hit him where it hurts — a $50,000 fine on Tuesday for derogatory comments he made about Mexico City on a livestream as NASCAR raced there last weekend.

At just 23 and in his second full Cup season, Hocevar has whipped himself into a flurry of unwanted attention, continuing a trend that started last year when even veteran Denny Hamlin chimed in and said NASCAR had “ to do something to Carson.”

Stenhouse might do it on behalf of the sanctioning body with his fist or even his No. 47 Chevrolet.

Hocevar conceded, yes, payback may be imminent and the time to talk out their lingering issues is over.

Yet, Hocevar pleaded: “It’s not an open hunting season on the 77 because of these incidents.”

Hocevar stamped his own target on his back. With his aggressive racing. With his ignorant words.

“Just because I do something in the heat of the moment or maybe, you know, you do it two or three times, doesn’t mean I’m not hard on myself for those mistakes because they are mistakes,” he said. “It’s just trying not to make that a pattern. But when you’re constantly making aggressive moves like we’re doing, it’s balancing that fine line of, you know, you make a thousand moves a day. Just unfortunately, what people remember isn’t always the good ones. You always remember the negative ones.”

Case in point, Hocevar walked back his derisive comments about Mexico after he actually experienced the culture of the country following NASCAR’s foray into a new Cup Series market.

“I didn’t give it a shot. I didn’t give it a chance,” Hocevar said. “I didn’t go walk around. I didn’t go see it. When I did, you know, then hindsight’s 20/20, then I have my own opinion. But I’ve already put it out there.”

Spire also ordered Hocevar to attend cultural-sensitivity and bias-awareness training.

He can be thankful he gets a shot at another race. Stenhouse’s spotter, Tab Boyd, was fired this week by HYAK Motorsports in the wake of an unflattering social media post about his experience in Mexico.

“That’s above my paygrade,” Stenhouse said.

The biggest KO so far came in the standings, where Stenhouse has been flattened in just three weeks from 13th in points in the thick of playoff contention before Nashville to 21st entering Pocono. Hocevar is one point ahead of Stenhouse in the standings.

“That’s the thing that hurts worse for our team is just where it’s put us,” Stenhouse said.

Stenhouse’s trash talk more worthy of UFC hype could put him in hot water should he actually deliver on his vowed retribution and take out Hocevar.

If it comes to a point where NASCAR dishes out a monetary punishment, it’s OK, the 2023 Daytona 500 champion could afford his fine. He just sold his North Carolina estate for $12.2 million, the highest-priced residential sale ever recorded in the greater Charlotte metro area.

“It’s been a big week. We’ve had a lot going on,” Stenhouse said, laughing.

He’d rather talk real estate than about the space and time wasted thinking about Hocevar.

“I’m just honestly tired of talking about the kid,” Stenhouse said.

Tired of the talk? Sure. Of the action? Not just yet.

“Eventually it’ll all come together at some point,” Stenhouse said. “I’m not sure when or how. But it will.”

___

AP auto racing: https://apnews.com/hub/auto-racing

Copyright 2025 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.

Joe Gibbs Racing driver Denny Hamlin, a three-race winner this season, missed last week’s race in Mexico City so he could be home with his family for the birth of his first son, Jameson Drew. Hamlin revealed it was a tough labor for his wife Jordan and was glad he could be there for her – and their two daughters.

His son’s name was thoughtful and purposeful – Jameson is “James’ son” and James is Hamlin’s first name. And Drew gives him JD initials – a nod to both the late JD Gibbs, a cherished friend of Hamlin and the person credited with hiring him at JGR. JD are also the initials of James Dean, the car owner earlier in Hamlin’s career providing his big opportunity to be seen – and eventually hired – to a major NASCAR operation.

“He’s been great, slept through the night the last three nights in a row. …he’s behaving good early,” Hamlin said with a smile of his son.

Hamlin said he watched the Mexico City race from home last weekend and was very impressed with the Amazon Prime broadcast and the extended time the network uses. But he’s ready to race at Pocono – where his seven wins is most all-time. He finished runner-up (2024) and scored that seventh win (2023) in the last two visits.

“Just a track that no matter what the car we drive or the tires we have on or the aero package, none of that really matters,” said Hamlin, who earned his first career NASCAR Cup Series victory at Pocono, sweeping both races – from pole position no less – in his 2006 rookie season.

“You still make speed at this race track the same way no matter what car you’re driving.

“It’s been one of the few tracks that I haven’t had to change my approach to it, depending on the car I’m driving. So, I think that’s why the success has been sustained.”

By DAN GELSTON

LONG POND, Pa. — Pocono Raceway paints its signature black rocks outside the garage in gold lettering with a last name and race car number highlighted to honor some of NASCAR’s greats. Jimmie Johnson has one. So does Richard Petty, among others.

So where’s the celebratory boulder for Denny Hamlin, who holds the track record with seven wins and saw another victory thrown out in 2022 because of a disqualification?

Hamlin laughed when he said Pocono officials told him the requirement was, “either retire or die.”

At 44 years old, Hamlin — who just welcomed a son with fiancee Jordan Fish — should have the prime of his life ahead.

As for retirement? What, and miss out on all the fun?

Even without a Cup championship on his resume, Hamlin remains a dominant force in the sport and he showed again June 21 why he’s the driver to beat on the 2 1/2-mile tri-oval track. Hamlin skipped last week’s race in Mexico City following his son’s birth and returned without missing a beat, turning a lap of 172.599 mph to take the top spot in the June 22 race.

“Truthfully, I’m on a run,” Hamlin said. “I don’t know how else to say it.”

Yes, life is good for Hamlin, especially after the couple welcomed their third child, Jameson Drew Hamlin, on June 11. Hamlin shared in a social media post that the baby was delivered at 8 pounds, 4 ounces and was measured at 22 3/4 inches. The name has special meaning: The three-time Daytona 500 champion’s given name is James Dennis Alan Hamlin. So his son’s name is for James’ son and the JD theme is for two men (JD Gibbs and James Dean) who helped launch his career path into NASCAR.

Hamlin said a difficult labor and the logistical issues of traveling on short notice to Mexico forced him to miss the race.

“If we were racing at Darlington,” he said, “I would have been there on race day.”

The layoff didn’t affect Hamlin. He earned his third NASCAR Cup Series victory of the season and 57th of his career on June 8 at Michigan International Speedway and jumped right back into the top spot at Pocono.

Maybe some unexpected rest this week helped Hamlin crush it in the No. 11 Toyota for Joe Gibbs Racing.

“He’s slept through the night the last three nights in a row. So it’s been really, really great,” Hamlin said.

If anything keeps Hamlin stirring at night, it’s the acrimonious legal fight with NASCAR that continues to drag in court.

A federal judge urged NASCAR and two of its teams to settle their lawsuit that spilled over into tense arguments during a hearing this week. 23XI Racing, which is owned by Hamlin and Michael Jordan, is fighting with NASCAR along with Front Row Motorsports. The two teams say the series is a monopoly, but NASCAR has struck back with a countersuit of its own.

Jeffrey Kessler, an attorney representing the teams, said he was open to a settlement. Hamlin said June 21 at Pocono he also was open to a settlement, but said no offer of one had been made on their side and wouldn’t be at least until there is a mediation attempt. Kessler said NASCAR was uninterested in a settlement.

“I have stated publicly cooler heads will prevail,” Hamlin said. “I can tell you this, this is not on our end that needs cooler heads. I think the difference is they’re saying different things on their side. We’re prepared to go all the way.”

Hamlin is going to try and go all the way and win at Pocono with his fifth pole in 36 races at the track.

Hamlin is the 5-1 betting favorite to win June 22, according to BetMGM Sportsbook.

“It’s a track that no matter the car we drive or the tires or the aero package, none of that really matters,” Hamlin said. “You still make speed at this racetrack the same way no matter what car you are driving. I think it’s been one of the few tracks I haven’t had to change my approach to it depending on the car that I’m driving. I think that’s why the success has been sustained.”

The rest of the lineup

Chris Buescher starts second at Pocono and Carson Hocevar — embroiled in a feud with Ricky Stenhouse Jr., who has vowed retaliation for recent wrecks — is third. John Hunter Nemechek is fourth and Cole Custer fifth.

Led by Hamlin, Toyota had six of the top-10 starting spots.

Pocono sellout

Pocono Raceway continued its renaissance with a third straight sellout crowd set for June 22. The track sold out all frontstretch seating, premium seating, suites, infield camping and the grandstand camping area. It also is the fifth consecutive year that the entire infield camping inventory has been sold out.

Pocono President Ben May said the track sold around 50,000 grandstand tickets, around 2,000 suite seats and 3,300 camping spots.

NASCAR traditionally ran two NASCAR weekends at the track until 2022. The sellout streak started the next year and it was the first since 2010.

“When you look at this weekend, it’s sold out. It’s fantastic,” three-time Cup champion Joey Logano said.

NASCAR expressed at least a cursory interest in adding to its recent string of offbeat race locations — everywhere from Mexico City to a temporary track inside the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum — and floated the idea of holding a race inside a Philadelphia stadium, Franklin Field. The site is traditionally home to the Penn Relays and college football.

May said he wasn’t necessarily concerned another race within driving distance of the mountains — about 100 miles away — would affect Pocono.

“When you get into center city and Philly proper, it’s a stick-and-ball town,” May said. “I’m very comfortable with Pocono’s position on the schedule for a long time.”

The Great American Getaway 400

What: NASCAR Cup Series race

When: 4 p.m., June 22

Where: Pocono Raceway, Long Pond, Pa.

TV: Prime Video

Originally Published: June 21, 2025 at 4:11 PM EDT

The regular season is quickly winding down in the NASCAR Cup Series as there are 10 races left before the 16-driver postseason field is locked in. Trackhouse Racing has as many drivers locked into a postseason berth as Hendrick Motorsports and Joe Gibbs Racing while Team Penske has already qualified all three of its teams, plus its satellite partner Wood Brothers Racing.

Shane van Gisbergen became the 10th different winner with his triumph in Mexico City and guaranteed Trackhouse two of its three cars will be in the postseason. What van Gisbergen also did was move the playoff grid cutline. Ryan Preece went from sitting in a playoff spot to the outside looking in. And while the points deficit for Preece and those behind him isn’t insurmountable, the emphasis on winning has increased.

The drivers locked in with a win:

1. William Byron

2. Christopher Bell

3. Josh Berry

4. Kyle Larson

5. Denny Hamlin

6. Austin Cindric

7. Joey Logano

8. Ross Chastain

9. Ryan Blaney

10. Shane van Gisbergen.

The rest of the grid entering Pocono Raceway (Sunday, 2pm ET):

11. Chase Elliott +146

12. Tyler Reddick +123

13. Bubba Wallace + 57

14. Chase Briscoe +39

15. Alex Bowman +22

16. Chris Buescher +19

Those sitting below the cutline:

17. Ryan Preece -19

18. Michael McDowell -43

19. AJ Allmendinger -45

20. Kyle Busch -50

There has to be a feeling of déjà vu for some of these drivers. Briscoe, for instance, did not make the postseason in 2024 until the 11th hour when he won the final regular season race. In doing so, he knocked out Chris Buescher.

Bowman, meanwhile, is again fighting around the bubble. It was the same story this time one year ago until he won the Chicago street course and locked himself into the postseason.

Busch missed the postseason in 2024. It will be more of the same if Richard Childress Racing cannot find itself back in the winner’s circle.

And then when you look at the drivers who are the most comfortable above the cutline, at least for now, it’s a surprise that Elliott, Reddick and Wallace have not won a race. Elliott had a win at this time last year, as did Reddick. But those two teams have been hot or cold on any given weekend.

Wallace, meanwhile, looked primed to win with his group the first two months of the season. They, too, have cooled off a bit. But sitting above the cutline is still a much better position for Wallace than he usually finds himself in as the regular season winds down.

Berry and van Gisbergen are two drivers who were not in the 2024 postseason who have claimed spots this season. On the other hand, Daniel Suarez, Brad Keselowski and Ty Gibbs are three drivers who are not currently in the picture after being playoff drivers last year.

And so here is what is to come over the next 10 weeks:

• Pocono Raceway (2024 winner: Blaney)
• Atlanta Motor Speedway (*2024 winner: Logano)
• Chicago street course (2024 winner: Bowman)
• Sonoma Raceway (2024 winner: Larson)
• Dover Motor Speedway (2024 winner: Hamlin)
• Indianapolis Motor Speedway (2024 winner: Larson)
• Iowa Speedway (2024 winner: Blaney)
• Watkins Glen (*2024 winner: Buescher)
• Richmond Raceway (2024 winner: Austin Dillon)
• Daytona International Speedway (2024 winner: Harrison Burton)

* Atlanta and Watkins Glen were playoff races in 2024 and not in the regular season.