NASCAR CUP SERIES
ECHOPARK SPEEDWAY
TEAM CHEVY DRIVER QUOTES
JULY 11, 2026
Chase Elliott, driver of the No. 9 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet, met with the media in advance of the NASCAR Cup Series qualifying session at EchoPark Speedway. The Dawsonville, Georgia, native returns to his home track as the defending winner of the track’s summer race.
Media Availability Quotes:
Elliott on this weekend’s In-Season Challenge Match-Up Against Chase Briscoe:
“Collectively as a team, if we go do our jobs, you’re going to take care of the In-Season Challenge, as well. That’s where my mind is at, which is trying to survive the carnage that I’m sure is inbound for all of us tomorrow night. Hopefully we’ll be rolling there at the end and have a shot.”
Reflecting back on last summer’s race here at EchoPark Speedway, how different is the day versus the night race here? Also, how big was that win for you last year, in terms of changing the direction of how your team’s season move forward into the playoffs?
“Yeah, it was definitely a big win. Anytime you can win at your home track, it’s just always a really big deal. It just feels a little different. It’s not like I’m trying any harder… I try hard every week. It’s not like I’m necessarily doing anything different, but I do think to cross that bridge and to kind of check that box, it had a little different feel to it. I have a lot of pride being from here and sharing a home state with a lot of the people that are going to be sitting up in the crowd tomorrow night, which I think is really cool. The home wins are really neat. I don’t know how much it really changed the course or direction of our season with how different this race is and it kind of being a speedway-style race, but it was a great night and one I’ll never forget, for sure. It was special for a lot of reasons, so hopefully we can run that back.”
With six races remaining in the regular season, it seems like your team is hitting your stride at the right time. Is that the sense that you have, and if so, what is it that’s led your team to that point?
“Yeah, I think for us, it’s just staying straight in the direction that the race is meant to be going. I think I crashed or was spun out for about two months, from Charlotte on, it seemed like. So, I think for us, it’s just about putting together solid races; executing good days and trying to minimize mistakes. I feel like there’s been a lot of mistakes from me personally throughout that timespan. So, yeah, just piecing that all together and trying to get back to doing what we do well. For us, there’s been pace at different points in time, so it’s just about putting that together at the right time.”
Last year, you won with the ‘Desi9n to Drive’ car and know that was extra special at your home track. This year, you have two people here – Max and Noelle – who designed your car for this weekend. Are they going to be here at the track, and how excited are they to see the car out there on the track?
“Yeah, they’re super pumped. What a great way to celebrate nine years last year. I know I talk about it a lot, but really couldn’t have had that story end any better, honestly. There were enough bad races for our ‘Desi9n to Drive’ car that we hopefully earned one or two more good ones.
But yeah, they’re super pumped. Both Max and Noelle have a lot of energy. We had an event last night and they were pumped up. It will be cool to see them here tomorrow. Max has a little bit of racing experience. Noelle, not so much. But I think it will be fun to see them both in this environment; under the lights and with all the things that this race brings now with just the energy and the excitement around it. Currently in Atlanta, the energy is pretty high for people around here, so I’m excited for them to experience that first-hand and see their ideas and imagination out there on the track.”
What does the ‘Desi9n to Drive’ program mean to you personally and for the foundation to be able to this for these kids?
“At the end of the day, it’s really all about Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta. Everything is for them and just trying to make a difference for the folks that work there, the patients there and the families that go through different challenging times that they would never imagine having to deal with. At the end of the day, you’re trying to make a difference in that collectively and their network of hospitals, but then more directly, just trying to have a positive impact. If it’s just one more positive day for those kids or gives them an experience they might not otherwise have at a race or event like this, in my view, it’s a win, as well. Really proud of where it’s come and the journey it’s been on, and for NAPA bringing it to the next level to make it what it is today. It’s been an honor for me to be a part of it.”
Looking ahead to next weekend, you’re going to be running all four races at North Wilkesboro. Overall, what do you like about North Wilkesboro? For the Truck race in particular, does that carry any more extra weight or is it extra special because you’re filling in for Kyle Busch?
“I’m super excited about it for a lot of different reasons. I don’t get to run late model races a lot. There’s just really not a lot of mid-week shows that work out for us with how our schedule is. It’s not like the dirt world where they race a lot of mid-week shows, so I’m excited about that. I appreciate Dale (Earnhardt Jr.) asking me to drive his late model stock, as well. That’s not a car that I’ve really had a lot of experience racing, in general. But both that race and the Truck race, as well, they were meant to be for Kyle (Busch). I think Dale was going to get him to drive that late model stock, as well, so it will definitely be special for that reason. I would love to go and get a win in honor of him, his career and the friend he was to me over the years. I don’t know how my name got drawn, asked or what it was, but I appreciate them thinking of me and letting me have that honor to go run those races.”
Do you feel more comfortable heading to the Brickyard in the O’Reilly car after running last weekend at Chicagoland?
“Not really, honestly. I think Indianapolis is so different. My understanding is with the high downforce, draggy, drafting vibe that they had going there last year (in the O’Reilly race), I think it’s totally different than what we had last weekend at Chicagoland. I don’t really know what to expect for that. I would look at Chicagoland as being more normal to those races, compared to what I see on TV a lot. I had a lot of fun with it. I thought Mardy (Lindley) and the entire No. 88 team did a great job. They were well-prepared and had me up to speed the best they could outside of the car. They gave me the time to get up to speed once we got out there on the track and showed me a lot of respect in that regard, so I really appreciate them and look forward to working with that group again. It’s a really good group of people and they’re well-buttoned up. You can’t ask for much more, so hopefully we can try to better it by a spot in Indy.”
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