'We still have work to do,' Jeff Gordon looks to the future after Chase Elliott’s Texas win

Hendrick Motorsports received a major reality check on its current performance ceiling ahead of the pivotal summer stretch. Vice chairman Jeff Gordon asserted that, despite Chase Elliott’s dominant victory at Texas Motor Speedway, the No. 9 team still has substantial work ahead to reach its true potential.

The demand for improvement comes on the heels of what looked like a perfect weekend on paper. Elliott snapped his long-standing struggles at the 1.5-mile Fort Worth oval, capturing his second win of the NASCAR Cup Series season and cementing his status as a legitimate championship threat.

Becoming only the second driver this season to secure multiple victories, joining 23XI Racing’s Tyler Reddick, should be a moment of pure celebration. Yet, the leadership at Hendrick Motorsports refuses to rest on those laurels, viewing the victory as a stepping stone rather than a final destination.

Speaking to the media in the aftermath of the race, Gordon made it clear that while he was thrilled with the on-track execution, the overall speed and underlying performance metrics leave room for growth. The Hall of Fame driver turned executive praised the team’s racecraft but noted that the organization is still chasing absolute perfection in a garage where the margin for error is virtually nonexistent.

1. Why Gordon Wants More Despite the Victory

“I don’t want to complain about the fact that we still feel like we have some work to do, because the 9 team performed flawlessly,” Gordon stated regarding the weekend’s execution. “The car was strong. I felt confident if they got the track position that they could control the race.”

2. Overcoming Track History Validates Gordon and Elliott’s Strategy

The triumph was especially sweet for Elliott, given his historically vocal distaste for the Texas circuit. For years, the reigning Most Popular Driver criticized the track’s repave and the reconfiguration of Turns 1 and 2, openly admitting the layout no longer suited his driving style and made it incredibly difficult for him to compete at a high level. “I’ve trashed this place for years, and I didn’t like what they did to the racetrack in reconfiguring Turns 1 and 2,” Elliott confessed after the checkered flag. “I thought it was a really strong track, and then it turned into not a strong track at all. Those things combined, I think just put a bad taste in my mouth.” Overcoming that mental hurdle is exactly the kind of resilience Gordon expects from his drivers. It was at this very track two years ago that Elliott snapped a grueling 42-race winless streak. Now, he leaves the Lone Star State sitting third in the Cup Series standings with 409 points and five top-five finishes through the first 11 races of the season.

3. Surviving the Chaos to Impress Gordon

While the No. 9 Chevrolet stayed entirely out of trouble, the rest of the field struggled to survive. The race featured intense attrition, claiming several heavy hitters early in the afternoon. Title contender Christopher Bell, who considers Texas his home track, led 22 laps before his day was destroyed. Bell attempted to shoot a bottom gap on lap 69, clipped the spinning car of Todd Gilliland, and slammed hard into the frontstretch wall, relegating him to a last-place finish in the 38-car field. The carnage continued on pit road. Joey Logano, currently mired in a 36-race winless drought, managed to avoid a spinning William Byron on the track, only to suffer terminal front-end damage when he collided with Cole Custer during a yellow-flag pit stop. Even Hamlin and Chase Briscoe had close calls on the pit lane, highlighting just how flawlessly Elliott and his pit crew had to operate to earn Gordon’s praise. Other notable storylines emerged deep in the pack. Chris Buescher secured his first top-10 finish in 17 starts at the track, grabbing fifth place. Carson Hocevar, riding the momentum of a Talladega breakthrough and a Friday night Truck Series win at Texas, finished seventh. Meanwhile, Corey Heim impressed by leading 69 laps in just his third start for 23XI Racing before a late spin ended his shot at a monumental upset. Through the chaos, the Hendrick Motorsports camp showed incredible resilience, but Gordon is looking at the bigger, championship-sized picture. The current Cup Series landscape is utterly unforgiving. With Reddick holding the series lead and Hamlin sitting just ahead of Elliott in second place with 417 points, the battle for the top 16 playoff spots is intensifying. If the No. 9 team wants to secure a second Cup Series championship, they must find the raw speed necessary to crush the field on pure pace. Looking ahead, the Cup Series shifts its focus to the challenging 2.45-mile road course at Watkins Glen in upstate New York. It is a venue where road-course ringers, like last year’s surprise winner, Shane van Gisbergen, will be eager to punch their playoff tickets. Elliott, a renowned road course ace, and his crew will face an entirely different test of speed and strategy. The upcoming stretch will ultimately reveal whether the No. 9 team can answer Gordon’s call to elevate their game and find that final, missing piece of the championship puzzle.

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