Veteran Crew Chief Gustafson's Gutsy Call Pays Off With Elliott Win

Chase Elliott's longtime crew chief Alan Gustafson made a strategic decision that helped deliver a victory at Martinsville Speedway.

Mar. 30, 2026 at 7:19pm

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A cubist, geometric painting depicting a NASCAR race, with the car and driver broken down into abstract shapes and planes of color, capturing the raw energy and motion of the sport.Gustafson's strategic call helps Elliott secure a hard-fought victory at Martinsville.Martinsville Today

Chase Elliott's crew chief Alan Gustafson has faced criticism for the team's lack of wins in recent seasons, but his gutsy call on Sunday at Martinsville Speedway paid off with a victory for the 2020 Cup champion. Gustafson, who has worked with Elliott for 11 seasons, the longest driver-crew chief pairing in the Cup garage, made a strategic decision to pit earlier than most in the final stage, which ultimately gave Elliott the track position he needed to take the checkered flag.

Why it matters

Gustafson's decision to take a risk with his strategy highlights the importance of crew chiefs being willing to make bold calls in order to give their drivers the best chance at winning. The Elliott-Gustafson pairing has faced scrutiny, but their long-standing relationship and mutual trust in each other allowed them to execute this winning strategy.

The details

In the final stage of the race, Gustafson talked with his engineers and decided to bring Elliott in for a pit stop earlier than most of the other teams. This gutsy call paid off when a timely caution flag flew, allowing Elliott to inherit the lead. Gustafson said he knew they had to do something different to have a shot at the win, rather than just settling for a top-10 finish.

  • On Sunday, March 26, 2026, the Cup race took place at Martinsville Speedway.
  • Gustafson made the strategic call to pit Elliott earlier than most teams in the final stage of the race.

The players

Alan Gustafson

Chase Elliott's crew chief, who has worked with him for 11 seasons, the longest driver-crew chief pairing in the Cup garage.

Chase Elliott

The 2020 Cup champion, who drives the No. 9 car for Hendrick Motorsports.

Jeff Gordon

Hendrick Motorsports Vice Chairman and four-time Cup champion, who previously worked with Gustafson as his crew chief.

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What they’re saying

“Whether it was Dale Earnhardt Jr. or Chase Elliott, whoever is the popular driver in the series, there's a lot of critics that want to sit on the sidelines and evaluate it. You cannot let that tear you apart. You got to keep strong on the inside and believe in yourself and believe in your team, all the things you're doing. That's what Alan and Chase fall back on.”

— Jeff Gordon, Hendrick Motorsports Vice Chairman

“Alan was my crew chief. I love the work and effort he puts in, how smart he is, the team he builds. Nobody is a tougher critic than he is of the team and their performance.”

— Jeff Gordon, Hendrick Motorsports Vice Chairman

“Alan made a great call. Glad he picked up on that, saw that. I don't think anybody else did. [It] goes to show that he's pretty good at what he does, which I try to tell y'all that all the time. But he does a pretty good job. I'm happy to work with him. Appreciate his effort, hanging in there, to our whole team for doing that, too. I appreciate that out of all of them.”

— Chase Elliott, NASCAR Driver

What’s next

The Elliott-Gustafson pairing will look to build on this win and continue their success throughout the remainder of the 2026 NASCAR Cup Series season.

The takeaway

This victory highlights the importance of crew chiefs being willing to take calculated risks in order to give their drivers the best chance at winning. The long-standing relationship and mutual trust between Elliott and Gustafson allowed them to execute this gutsy strategy, proving that their pairing still works despite recent criticism.