Chase Elliott went from a 10th-place effort to a grandfather clock at Martinsville Speedway. On Sunday, Elliott and the No. 9 team for Hendrick Motorsports won the Cook Out 400 at Martinsville, earning their first victory of the 2026 Cup Series season. Elliott’s crew chief, Alan Gustafson, made an incredible call to give the No. 9 car track position.
Following the event, Elliott spoke about his big Cup Series victory at Martinsville in March 2026. It was a massive team effort for the No. 9 team, giving Hendrick Motorsports their first win of the 2026 NASCAR season.
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“It was definitely a team effort, man,” Elliott said. “How about that? That was awesome. We’ve never had a win this early in the season. Just a really great team effort, man. So proud of Alan and the whole UniFirst team. They did a great job. We took a gamble. We were going to two-stop that last stage. I honestly think it was going to work out good for us either way. Just so proud of them. Man, they put up with a lot [smiling]. They got to put up with me all the time. I just appreciate them for sticking with me.”
“Sure is a lot of fun when days like this work out. Definitely really appreciate it. Thanks to everybody, Hendrick Motorsports, Chevrolet, Boss. I told you I thought we were okay. I didn’t know if we were this good or not. Thanks for the opportunity, as always. Wish you were here. We’ll see you next time. Say hi to my mom at home. Hope she’s having a good evening.”
Going into the Cup Series’ first off-weekend, Elliott sits fourth in the point standings with a 104-point deficit to Tyler Reddick after seven seven races. Elliott may not have been the fastest driver at Martinsville on Sunday, but the No. 9 team put him in the best spot to take advantage of the moment.
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This article originally appeared on Motorsports Wire: Chase Elliott discusses big NASCAR Cup win at Martinsville in 2026
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