**Hendrick Motorsports’ #9 Chevy Crew Named Most Valuable Pit Crew of the Season by Mechanix Wear**
Chase Elliott’s #9 Chevy crew at Hendrick Motorsports was honored as the Most Valuable Pit Crew of the season by Mechanix Wear for their outstanding performance during the 2025 playoffs. Elliott expressed his admiration for the dedication and hard work his team demonstrated, praising them for delivering when it mattered most.
Mechanix Wear evaluates pit crews based on a playoff-focused metric system that considers factors such as pit stop speed, positions gained or lost during stops, and the overall strength of each stop. Excelling across all these criteria, the #9 Chevy crew delivered the best postseason performance in 2025. Their resilience and relentless effort played a key role in keeping Chase Elliott in playoff contention throughout the season.
Reflecting on the team’s success, Elliott shared:
“I’m extremely proud of our whole group. They did an exceptional job all year, and I’ve touched on how impressed I was at Phoenix and the drive to want to continue to work hard and lay it all out there, even though we weren’t in the playoffs. They just had an incredible performance on pit road and an amazing way to cap off the season. I’m extremely grateful for their attitudes, their approach, how they pick me up when I’m down or whatever it takes; they’re willing to rise to the occasion.”
**Chase Elliott’s 2025 Season Recap**
Elliott completed the 2025 Cup Series season in eighth place overall. Over 36 starts, he secured two victories, 19 top-ten finishes, and 11 top-five finishes. He also led 454 laps during the year, posting an average finish of 12.6.
**Chase Elliott’s Thoughts on Rumored 2026 Cup Series Playoff Format**
Ahead of the 2025 postseason, former Cup Series champion Chase Elliott sat down for a pre-race interview with NASCAR journalist Dalton Hopkins at Darlington. During the interview, Elliott weighed in on rumors about a potential change to the 2026 playoff format.
Currently, NASCAR utilizes a 3-3-3-1 playoff structure, featuring three races per playoff round and the elimination of four drivers each round until the final four compete for the championship. However, NASCAR plans to revise the format next season to enhance fan engagement.
Elliott shared his perspective on the rumored changes:
“I think it would be better than what we have. Because you just have a larger amount of races at a round to decide. You know, it could, it seemingly would give an opportunity to, you know, have something that’s totally out of somebody’s hands, not completely derail their championship. What is now, you know, their shop. So, it seems like, is it perfect? Probably not. But I would say that that sounds better.”
**A Look Back at Chase Elliott’s NASCAR Journey**
Chase Elliott made his Cup Series debut in 2015 with Hendrick Motorsports, driving the #25 Chevy as a part-time rookie. He earned his first full-time seat in 2016, piloting the iconic #24 Chevy for two seasons before transitioning to the #9 car in 2018, where he continues to race today.
https://www.sportskeeda.com/nascar/news-chase-elliott-extremely-proud-hendrick-motorsports-latest-achievement