
Chase Elliott hopes to continue road success at Mexico City
Sunday's Viva Mexico 250 in Mexico City means a few road-course standouts should be antsy to make the long trip south and claim a playoff berth.
NASCAR makes history Sunday when it holds the first points-paying international Cup Series race in the modern era at the tricky Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez, featuring 15 turns that drivers will battle over 100 laps (242.9 miles) at 7,350 feet.
It will be the first international points event since 1958 when Lee Petty won in Toronto driving an Oldsmobile in a 19-car field that featured son Richard in his racing debut.
One hotshot looking forward to a few right turns to go along with the lefts is Chase Elliott, the active leader in wins at the Cup Series' snaking layouts from New York to California to Mexico and points in between.
Owner of seven road wins, third to all-time leader Jeff Gordon (nine) and Tony Stewart (eight), Elliott has had no luck on them since 2022.
His only two victories in 2021 and the last on the winding courses were at the Circuit of the Americas in Austin, Tex., and the lengthy Road America in Elkhart Lake, Wisc., which only made two appearances on the Cup schedule (2021, 2022) before being replaced.
The seven-time NASCAR Most Popular Driver award winner is having an incredibly consistent but completely unremarkable regular season in his 10th full campaign after running five races in 2015.
Through 15 races so far, the No. 9 Hendrick Motorsports pilot is winless -- he has had just one victory (Texas, 2024) since grabbing the checkers at Talladega on Oct. 2, 2022 -- but he is the only driver to finish every race in the top 20, placing him fifth in points (minus-112 to leader William Byron) with an 11.7 average finish.
However, Elliott had made a habit of winning in the Cup Series -- 19 total times, including five each in his championship season of 2020 and also in 2022.
But drivers generally have to lead to win -- though Denny Hamlin, who will miss the Mexico race for his child's birth, only led five laps Sunday on the way to career victory No. 57 at Michigan.
Elliott, 29, has paced the way on just 95 laps, while Byron, Kyle Larson and Hamlin -- 1-2-3 in points -- have combined for a whopping 2,074 circuits led.
Usually for Elliott, it has been a different story, one of flashy, checkered success, not just a good points day with no chance of glory, when it comes to racing on the slithering asphalt.
In 36 career road events, Elliott has nabbed seven wins, three poles and 20 top fives. He has led 489 laps with an average finish of 9.0.
The Dawsonville, Ga., driver is optimistic -- despite fans' criticism of crew chief Alan Gustafson and the team.
'We care a lot about each other,' Elliott said. 'I think it's important that we've stuck together through this, and I think there is light at the end of the tunnel somewhere. I also think we're going to be way better for it once we do get on the other side because we've had to learn some hard lessons.'
Currently saddled with an 0-for-43 winless streak in points races, could the top racer on road courses desperately use a win Sunday and tie Stewart for second in wins?
Let's just say he would have no problem bringing a trophy through customs when he returns.
--Field Level Media
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


Canada News.Net
4 hours ago
- Canada News.Net
Canadian teen, American Brianna Do among AIG Women's Open qualifiers
(Photo credit: Raymond Carlin III-Imagn Images) American Brianna Do and Canadian Anna Huang were among the 17 players to earn spots in this week's AIG Women's Open via Monday's 18-hole qualifier. The AIG Women's Open begins Thursday at Wales' Royal Porthcawl. Huang, the youngest player on the Ladies European Tour at 16, posted the low round Monday with her 4-under par 67 at Pyle and Kenfig Golf Club. She was followed by Ireland's Anna Foster and Thailand's Arpichaya Yubol at 3 under. 'I'm delighted with my score,' said Huang, who is No. 521 in the Rolex Women's Rankings. 'I don't play links golf, so it took a couple of practice rounds to get used to it, but I think I handled it pretty well. I played in the U.S. Open this year so this will be my second major championship. I learned a lot from that week and bringing more patience into this week will be really helpful.' Do, 35, tied for eighth at 1 under. The 2011 Women's Amateur Public Links champion will play in her first Women's Open since 2016. Ranked 351st, she is coming off a T23 in June at the KPMG Women's PGA Championship and a T59 three weeks ago at the Evian Championship. 'A few years ago, I was first alternate for the Evian, and I didn't get in, so I came over to Scotland and played quite a bit of golf,' Do said. 'I played the Old Course, Prestwick, Elie, so I played quite a bit for fun, and it was amazing. I learned quite a bit there but not in a tournament sense.' Among the five Americans who fell short in qualifying was 2017 major champion and four-time United States Solheim Cup player Danielle Kang, who shot a 73. Despite failing to qualify for her 13th Women's Open, Kang said she is not disappointed. 'Not even a little bit,' she said. 'I met unbelievably great people here. I got to play with a bunch of members at Porthcawl, and I got to know everybody at Pyle and Kenfig. It's been great.' Australia's Hira Naveed (69) and New Zealand's Momoko Kobori (70), teammates at Pepperdine from 2017-19, both qualified. All 17 qualifiers for this week's 144-golfer field finished under par.


Canada News.Net
4 hours ago
- Canada News.Net
Reports: Rays deal C Danny Jansen to Brewers, get Marlins C Nick Fortes
(Photo credit: Sam Navarro-Imagn Images) The Tampa Bay Rays got younger at catcher Monday, using a pair of reported trades to swap Danny Jansen out for Nick Fortes. The Rays dealt Jansen to the Milwaukee Brewers in exchange for infield prospect Jadher Areinamo, and The Athletic reported. Separately, the Rays are acquiring Fortes from the Miami Marlins for minor-league outfielder Matthew Etzel, according to multiple reports. Jansen, 30, was in his first season in Tampa Bay after spending the first seven years of his career with American League East rivals Toronto (2018-24) and Boston (2024). Due to a 2024 Toronto-Boston game that was suspended due to rain and rescheduled, Jansen became the first player in MLB history to play for both teams in a single game. Jansen was batting just .204 with 11 home runs and 29 RBIs in 73 appearances for the Rays. Fortes, 28, is under club control through 2028 via three years of arbitration. He will join his second MLB club without having to leave the state. In parts of five seasons with Miami, Fortes has batted .225 with 25 home runs and 96 RBIs over 363 games. That includes a .240 batting average with two homers and 10 RBIs in 59 games in 2025. Areinamo, 21, is a Venezuela native who joins Tampa Bay's system after batting .297 with 11 homers and 51 RBIs over 94 games this season for High-A Wisconsin. Etzel, 23, has spent the season at Tampa Bay's Double-A affiliate in Montgomery, where he has batted .230 with five home runs and 34 RBIs in 56 games. He has played all three outfield spots in the minor leagues.


Canada News.Net
8 hours ago
- Canada News.Net
Guardians' Emmanuel Clase on paid leave in betting probe
(Photo credit: Ken Blaze-Imagn Images) Cleveland Guardians closer Emmanuel Clase has been placed on non-disciplinary paid leave amid an ongoing sports betting probe by Major League Baseball. The three-time All-Star right-hander's leave runs through Aug. 31, MLB said in a statement on Monday. The Guardians issued a statement acknowledging that they had been notified of the move. 'We have been informed that no additional players or Club personnel are expected to be impacted. The Guardians are not permitted to comment further at this time and will respect the league's confidential investigative process as we continue to fully cooperate,' the team statement read. Clase, 27, is 5-3 with a 3.23 ERA and 24 saves in an MLB-leading 41 appearances this season. He led the American League in saves and made the All-Star team in each of the three previous campaigns, including a career-high 47 saves in 2024. Clase is 21-26 with 182 saves and a 1.88 ERA in 366 career games (one start) with the Texas Rangers (2019) and the Guardians (2021-25). Clase is the second Guardians pitcher to get caught up in the MLB investigation. Right-hander Luis Ortiz was placed on similar leave on July 3, which was later extended through Aug. 31. According to reports, Ortiz's investigation focuses on in-game prop bets involving two pitches that garnered higher activity than usual. One was tossed in a June 15 game against the Seattle Mariners, and another on June 27 versus the St. Louis Cardinals. Ortiz, 26, is 4-9 with a 4.36 ERA in 16 starts this season. The native of the Dominican Republic was acquired from the Pittsburgh Pirates as part of a three-team trade that included the Toronto Blue Jays on Dec. 10.