During his tenure as Jeff Gordon’s crew chief at Hendrick Motorsports, Steve Letarte famously saw Rick Hendrick personally thank every single team member after the 1995 championship. This was a moment that cemented Hendrick’s leadership values in Letarte’s mind. As a respected NBC analyst today, he has seen many talents rise and fall within HMS. One driver, however, has consistently remained in the spotlight — Chase Elliott. This year, though, Letarte didn’t offer praise on the #9 driver. Instead, he delivered a hard-hitting verdict on Elliott’s steady, but unremarkable, 2025 campaign.

Chase Elliott’s career has seen brilliant peaks. His 2020 Cup Series Championship was the high point, where he logged career highs in laps led, top-5s, and top-10s. He became one of the youngest champions e

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