Kyle Petty sounds off on Chase Elliott's performance at Pocono

Chase Briscoe held off Joe Gibbs Racing teammate Denny Hamlin at Pocono Raceway on Sunday to pick up his first win with the powerhouse organization.

A few positions down the finishing order was Chase Elliott of Hendrick Motorsports, who came away with a solid fifth-place finish. For some drivers in the field, they would walk away pleased with that type of result.

For NASCAR's Most Popular Driver and 2020 Cup Series champion, wins are expected, and that is one of the areas that former NASCAR driver Kyle Petty discussed in the latest episode of his "Kiss My A**phalt" podcast.

"Since 2023, Chase Elliott has won only one race... I know you've got all the t-shirts, I know you've got all the hats, I know he's Mr. Most Popular," Petty said, referring to Elliott's race fans. "But how can our Most Popular Driver not win races and not even be the best driver in the team he drives for?"

This season alone, two of Elliott's HMS teammates, William Byron and Kyle Larson, are atop the points standings and have four wins, 16 top-fives and 22 top-10s between them. Byron (769) and Larson (851) lead the series in laps led, while Larson's 23 playoff points are the most.

Due to his consistency of finishing inside the top-20 in each race this season, Elliott currently sits fifth in points, but has only led 95 laps and picked up zero playoff points.

With his lone points-paying win since the start of the 2023 season coming at Texas in April of 2024, Petty offered a bold take on Elliott.

"There was a movie one time called 'As Good as it Gets,' Petty continued. "Is this as good as it gets? Have we already seen the best of Chase Elliott?"

Petty concluded his remarks by pointing to Briscoe's "ascension" with his team and Elliott being "just kind of here," and if that is good enough for the expectations of the fans, the HMS organization and the sponsors?

"If it is, more power to you. But in a sport where we reward wins and we reward championships, we need somebody to step up," Petty stated. "Chase has got to step up and if we're complacent and we're satisfied with 'as good as it gets,' so be it. I'm not."

Since Elliott won a career-best five races in 2022, he has certainly not been the same driver who was running at the front and leading laps each week. Back-to-back top-fives in Mexico City (third) and Pocono (fifth) have established some momentum, but the inability to lead laps has persisted in the Next Gen Car.

In total, Elliott has led double-digit laps in three of the 17 points-paying races this season. Until that improves and he is able to consistently put himself in contention for wins more often, it is hard to disagree with some of Petty's remarks.

Still, he is not the only champion who has struggled with the Next Gen Car. Look no further than two-time champion Kyle Busch, who is mired in a career-long winless streak dating back to his win at World Wide Technology Raceway in 2023.

As the summer stretch continues and the race for the playoffs heats up, Elliott is the highest-ranked driver in points who has not won a race. If we continue to get new winners, though, the No. 9 team may face increased pressure to return to Victory Lane, which has surprisingly evaded them the last two-and-a-half seasons in the current car.