Chase Elliott changes made by Hendrick Motorsports after replacement primed
Chase Elliott has swapped rear changers with Justin Haley as his struggles this season persist, but fans are calling for a more significant change to be made.
Chase Elliott’s No. 9 Hendrick Motorsports team has undergone a significant change - though not the one that many fans have recently been calling for.
Last weekend, Elliott appeared to be in prime position to secure his first victory of the 2025 campaign at the NASCAR Cup Series AdventHealth 400, but his chances of winning were swiftly dashed by a botched pit stop during which the jack dropped before his rear tire was secured.
Following the inexcusable mistake, droves of angry fans demanded that changes be made to Elliott’s team - prompting a response from Hendrick Motorsports. In particular, crew chief Alan Gustafson has drawn considerable backlash, with his replacement said to be already primed.
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On Thursday, Hendrick Motorsports made a different adjustment that likely won’t garner as many headlines but is nonetheless still important. According to FOX Sports’ Bob Pockrass, NASCAR’s Most Popular Driver and Justin Haley have swapped rear changers.
Calvin Teague will now be working on Elliott’s car, while Chad Avrit will assume the rear changer position in Haley’s pit.
Earlier this season, Teague served as rear changer for Kyle Larson but was part of a pit-crew member swap that sent him to Spire Motorsports last month.
It remains to be seen if Elliott’s team will experience any more changes in the coming weeks should their struggles persist. Through 12 races this season, he’s amassed three top-5 finishes and six top-10s but remains winless.
In recent weeks, some have called for Gustafson to be canned and replaced by Adam Wall, who’s served as crew chief for Hendrick Motorsports’ No.17 car in the Xfinity Series. He’s quickly made a name for himself among Cup Series circles and garnered a reputation as an up-and-coming star.
Elliott, for one, is sticking by Gustafson - insisting that his longtime partner is still the right person for the job. “I mean, I think that’s probably some of it comes with the territory, I guess, a little bit,” he told Express U.S. Sports last month.
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“Look, he’s a pro. I love Alan. I think he is so good at what he does, and I believe in him. At the end of the day, that’s really all that matters is kind of how I look at it.
“I think we have a good relationship and we both helped each other grow quite a lot in the course of our time together, coming up to ten years. We just enjoy going to battle each week.”
Hendrick Motorsports vice president of competition Chad Knaus, meanwhile, asserted that Gustafon’s job was safe so long as he continued to field a competitive racecar. "I know that Alan and Chase are digging in deep and working extremely hard with their team to try to make sure that they do that on a weekly basis, because when they do, they execute very well," he said.
“It only takes one hiccup and it can derail your day. So we’ve got to keep working on those things. But as long as they continue to bring good race cars and fast race cars and execute at a high level, they’re going to be where we need them.”
