Chase Elliott is 28 years old and in the prime of his NASCAR Cup Series career. In his ninth full season, he has recorded 19 Cup Series victories, won the 2020 championship and earned the title as the sport’s most popular driver six years in a row. With so many impressive career accomplishments and reflecting on his life, what would you tell your 10-year-old self about life and racing?
“From the age of 10 to now, a lot of things have changed, for sure,” Elliott admitted before the June 23 race at New Hampshire. “I’m just still learning in life and in racing. I think as time goes on and every year I get older, I think I learn new things and I can see things a little bit differently. I think as you get older, you really start to understand and recognize priorities on the race track and off it, or at least that’s what I’ve thought for my last twenty years here.
“I think that will continue to change over time. I’m not sure if it will ever stop. You know, I’ve never met a human being who, whether they’re 35, 55, or 75, has it all figured out. So I don’t think anyone ever does. I think you just have to be open-minded and try to focus on the things that matter and let the rest figure itself out.”
Chase Elliott details his friendship with Ryan Blaney
Chase Elliott wants to beat every driver he races against on Sunday. That includes his friend Ryan Blaney. While they are fierce competitors on the track, the driver of the No. 9 said that off the track they have developed a close relationship that began years ago.
“I’ve known Ryan for a long time. I met him when we were kids growing up at the racetrack with his dad racing and my dad racing in a similar era,” Elliott said. “So we always had that relationship. And then ultimately we had a very similar path to get here.
“And then we spent a lot of our younger years racing, going to the same tracks and racing the same kind of cars. I think that’s when our relationship grew, because we started spending more time together. You know, when you’re on tour a lot it’s good to have a friend. He was definitely that guy for me. It just happened that our paths crossed.”
“And I think it’s even cooler that we’ve both been lucky enough to live our dreams and get this far. I would say that if our careers ended tomorrow, we would have already lived most of our dream, which I think is really cool and not something you get to see every day with someone you’re close to and respect.”
Elliott hopes to resume traveling with Blaney in the future
Elliott mentioned how close his relationship with Blaney is. In the past, that has included trips to different places around the world, such as Amsterdam in 2017.
“We’ve done a lot of really cool trips and we’ve been around the world and seen a lot of cool things,” the HMS host revealed. “We haven’t gone anywhere in the last two years. Going back to your question about life. Everyone is busy and things change a little bit as we get older.
“But I hope we can keep our momentum going. We were on a great run for a few years, visiting really cool places and seeing a lot of the world. So I’ve had an aspiration to keep doing that. Whether it’s while we’re still racing or after, I think it’s important to do those things if you have the opportunity to do them. We’ve been fortunate enough to do a lot of them.”
Where does Elliott see NASCAR going in the future?
Chase Elliott, as he mentioned, has been a part of NASCAR since birth with his father Bill racing. That family background has allowed him to have a unique perspective on the sport as it has changed over the years. He said the biggest change he has personally witnessed since arriving on the Cup scene in 2016 has been the current car, which debuted in 2022.
“Since I’ve been here, it’s definitely been the transition to the next-generation car. I mean, and honestly, I’m not sure there’s ever been such a big change or a change that was such a big departure from a previous-generation vehicle.”
That’s a thing of the past. What does Elliott think about the future of NASCAR?
“I don’t know,” he admitted. “I’m not sure where they want to go. Obviously, there’s a lot of talk about what the electric side of the world will bring. That’s the most popular question, right?”
“I don’t really know. I think society will probably determine that more than anything else as time goes on. What laws will be put in place over the course of the next 10 to 20 years that will ultimately have a domino effect and force them to make a change or not.
“I know NASCAR is always trying to think ahead and understand. They’re trying to be prepared for whatever the next step is. I really think everything is on the table as time goes on. And I think from a competition standpoint and just being involved with these teams, I just hope that they give the teams a good opportunity to not only be able to take on the big changes as they come in a fair way, but also in a timely manner, and just give people enough time to develop and get things where they need to be.”
It will be interesting to see if an electric NASCAR comes to fruition, and even more interesting if Elliott is still around when it happens. If so, you know his loyal fans will be there cheering every lap.
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