NASCAR CUP SERIES
RICHMOND RACEWAY
TOYOTA OWNERS 400
TEAM CHEVY PRESS CONF. TRANSCRIPT
APRIL 14, 2021
CHASE ELLIOTT, NO. 9 NAPA AUTO PARTS CAMARO ZL1 1LE, Teleconference Transcript:
LOOKING AHEAD TO TALLADEGA, HOW DO YOU HANDLE WORKING WITH TEAMMATES AND MANUFACTURERS?
“That’s a good question. I feel like it’s always a topic of conversation and it’s always a really tough conversation. But I feel like this has been going on for the last couple of years, I would say, give or take; way more than it did my first couple of years. And as things have gone on, the dynamic has certainly progressed. I think everyone has a better understanding. And ultimately, amongst our teams a Hendrick Motorsports, I feel like we have found ourselves in just a good position of understanding what’s important when it comes to helping each other. To me, the high spots of that are getting on and off pit road good, together, and efficiently. And then, restarts and lane choice from that standpoint. Outside of that, the race has to evolve naturally, right? Like we really try hard not to hurt one another. But it’s also hard to expect someone to hurt themselves and to go out of their way to try to help you. I feel like we have a good understanding of that, and we really just focus on putting emphasis at Hendrick Motorsports, and Chevrolet, too, as we have evolved into just the pit cycle and doing that together and taking time because those things, that in particular, I feel like is going to put you in the best position after that and potentially at the end of the race. So, that’s where our focus has been. That’s where my focus is at. And I feel like reasonably, we’ve done a good job of that and gotten better at it as time has gone on and focusing on those these and just not playing so many games of expecting too much from one another, but just focusing on those high spots.”
DO YOU HAVE ANY CONCERNS ABOUT NOT HAVE WON IN THE FIRST EIGHT RACES?
“No, I’m not concerned with it. I would love to win, for sure, before now; but at the same time, I feel like we have a great team. I feel like I’m in a good place. I don’t feel any different today than I did approaching the end of the season last year. So, we just have to continue to push and work hard to focus on what makes us go fast and what makes me comfortable behind the wheel. And just focus on us. I feel like that’s something we’ve always done a really good job of at the No. 9 team in particular. Alan (Gustafson, crew chief) have a good relationship and I think we understand what I need behind the wheel to go fast. We just have to achieve that and get it the next few races. We’ve had pace at certain times this year that I feel like was good enough to contend for a win. We’ve also had races where we were really bad and didn’t have pace. But that’s racing and that’s part of it, right? Those tough days and slow races push you to want to be better. So, I guess to answer your question, no, I’m not concerned with it. We all want to win but I feel no different today than I did at the end of last year and the results were just fine then. So, I know we can achieve it. I know we can go out there and accomplish our goals. And we believe that as a team and really outside of that, it really just doesn’t matter.”
HAVE YOU ENJOYED HAVING THREE SHORT TRACKS ON THE SCHEDULE IN A ROW?
“Well, there’s only two short tracks on the schedule. And they never fall in order. So, Martinsville is it.”
WHAT ABOUT BRISTOL?
“Well, that is a good point. I guess the dirt throws that one for a bit of a loop. Yeah, I mean you know, Bristol is such an off thing. That’s really hard, right, because we don’t go back to the dirt. So, I think it’s been good. I think our cars and our series suits well for short track racing. Martinsville, I thought, was a good race. I wish I was part of it a little closer, but I thought it was a good show. Martin and Denny raced really hard for the win; I don’t know what else you could ask for really, if you’re a fan. They were side-by-side for ten laps, it seemed like, which I thought was really cool. So yeah, I think it’s a good thing. I’ve always been a fan of it and I’d love to see more. Hopefully we can get there one day.”
RICHMOND IS A LITTLE BIT LONGER THAN THOSE TWO AND THE CONFIGURATION IS A LITTLE BIT DIFFERENT. HOW MUCH DIFFERENT IS THE DRIVING AT RICHMOND?
“The driving at Richmond is honestly very straight forward. I think that’s what makes Richmond really hard is because it’s just not a super challenging place, I don’t think, for the drivers to run the proper line. But what makes it really hard there is to just be different. And everyone is doing the exact same thing. Obviously, you have to have your car balance really good there and it has to be perfect. You’re riding that really razor thin edge much like you do at Martinsville. But it’s definitely a challenge. And I think the reason it’s a challenge is that everyone is just doing the same thing. Martinsville is different where guys really attack that race track differently. Whereas at Richmond, I feel like everyone is just in the exact same boat and it’s hard to be different. I think that’s what makes that place tough.”
WITH EVERYTHING THAT’S HAPPENED DURING THE PANDEMIC, EVERYBODY HAS HAD TO DO THINGS IN A DIFFERENT WAY. WHEN THE SPORT GOES BACK TO A NEW NORMAL, WHAT ARE THE THINGS OR PROCESSES THAT WILL STILL CARRY OVER LIKE THE GOOD OLD DAYS?
“That’s a great question. Honestly, from our preparation standpoint, really not a lot changed. We went about our race prep really similar to what we did in the past. Our post-race work was really similar. I don’t necessarily think a lot changed from my competitive-side or from the competition aspect; but certainly, from the logistic side of things and the scheduling side; which this is above me and not my call, but I definitely think there are a lot of lessons and a lot of good to take from what was a bad situation and still is, and just how they’re doing things. I feel like NASCAR became more efficient in the past year than it’s ever been. And, especially than it’s been in the last 10 to 15 years; I feel like we just learned that there’s just a lot of things that we don’t have to have to still put on a great show on Sundays. And man, I think we’d be making a really big mistake to not learn from those lessons and to not carry some of that stuff forward. The leadership is as different and is as confident and open to trying new things at NASCAR than, I don’t want to say than it’s ever been because I wasn’t around for a lot of it, but man, they’re doing things way different now and trying things that I don’t think any of us would have ever expected 10 or 15 years ago, right? I think they’re looking at all of it and I think they should. But that’s up to them and whatnot and again, that’s not my call and I don’t want it to be my call. But I do think there are a lot of great lessons that we can take from this on just how to be more efficient as a sport moving and to make it a little more economical and make use of everyone’s time wisely on the road, and still put on a really good race on Sundays or Saturday nights. Again, I think there is a lot of good to take from what’s been a tough year.”
AS THE SPORT LOOKS TO OPEN UP MORE AS EARLY AS NEXT MONTH, AS A COMPETITOR WITH MUCH AT STAKE, DOES THAT IMPACT ANY DECISION ON WHETHER TO GET VACCINATED OR NOT, OR HAVE YOU ALREADY TAKEN CARE OF THAT? HOW DO YOU VIEW THAT?
“Well, I view it very personally as I think a lot of people probably will. I, myself, view it personally. I don’t share my medical records with the public. I don’t tell you guys when I go to the doctor. Not out of disrespect, but that’s just that I’m kind of a personal guy, I guess, when it comes to my health. I’m making decisions about my health on my own terms; and I will respect everyone else’s decisions just the same as I hope to get the privacy and respect of mine.”
WHAT HAVE YOU HEARD FROM WILLIAM BYRON AND ALEX BOWMAN ABOUT THEIR EXPERIENCES IN BEING ABLE TO DRIVE THE NEXT GEN CAR THAT HAVE PIQUED YOUR INTEREST ABOUT THE CAR COMPARES TO WHAT YOU ARE CURRENTLY DRIVING?
“To be honest, we haven’t talked about it a ton. I’ve been kind of hesitant just with the whole situation and whatnot, on the car, and guys driving it just because I still think there’s a lot of questions that aren’t answered. You don’t want to pick up something. Say it’s a certain thing with the steering. There was talk about that a while back and that it was way off and they’re working on it and trying to get it better. But that might be a comment that you might get from one of them a while back before it was proper. So, I’ve just been really careful about asking and really getting involved with that car just yet because again, I just think there are things that they’re still working out. And honestly, I kind of want it to be worked out first before I really dive in and start to pick apart the small things that can make a big difference. We’re always hunting the really small fine details and you just want to make sure all those details are what we’re going to have next year. And that’s really kind of been where my head is at with it.”
WITH THE NEW THINGS ON THE NEW CAR LIKE THE INDEPENDENT REAR SUSPENSION AND SEQUENTIAL SHIFTER, WHAT ASPECTS ARE YOU LOOKING FORWARD TO THE MOST TO EXPERIENCE YOURSELF?
“I think it’s really hard just to pick out one thing, right? I don’t think the sequential shifting is going to make that big of a difference like you guys would never know we have an H pattern shifter in our cars. Like, you would just never know that looking from the outside with the way the transmissions are. We might miss a shift on occasion just because of that. But for the most part, the transmissions are really nice, and they like to live in gear, and they want to go in gear. It doesn’t really seem to slow down the shifting process. I feel like we get the thing in gear really fast. So, I don’t really see that changing the look of things a whole lot. But certainly, the independent rear suspension and the aerodynamic factors of that car, I think, could definitely change how the racing looks. But I think you have to look at it as a whole. I think it’s really hard just to say hey, that one thing is going to be super-different and I’m super-excited about that. I think the whole thing is a package and it’s a package deal. That whole car is one unit. And it’s going to be very different. And I think you have to look at it as a unit and see how it is different as a whole because again, to your point, there are some things that are very far removed from what we’ve had, what NASCAR has had, for a long time. So, I’m very curious to see how it works and curious to drive one and see how the racing is.”
INAUDIBLE – QUESTION ABOUT MAKING IT TO VICTORY LANE
“We’re trying hard. We’re always trying hard; whether we win or finish last, we’re trying hard. So, it’s always a fight. Martinsville was a really strong fight by our team, honestly. We had a long day just in kind of how the strategy worked out. I feel like we passed a lot of cars, which was good. We got up there towards the front there at the end. We definitely weren’t as good as Martin and Ryan, but I thought we were probably mixed in with that group behind them, which is not what you’re looking for, but it’s certainly solid and something you can build off of. That’s an important race for the Fall. I hope we can go back and build on that. Certainly, looking to Richmond, that’s been a struggled track for me. I would love to go there and try to get a win. That would be a big one if we could go do that, just knowing how bad we’ve struggled there in the past. It reminds me of Martinsville and our struggles there and kind of progressing and trying to get better. Hopefully Richmond is another step in the right direction, and we can contend up there.”
ASIDE FROM WINNING, WHAT IS THE BIGGEST GOAL DURING THE OPENING PART OF A LONG 36-RACE SCHEDULE?
‘Honestly, you said it. Winning. I think winning early is a good thing. You have to win early. No, we didn’t last year. But I definitely think it helps. That, to me, is the most important thing; really, the whole year. With the way the points format is, it’s a long regular season to the Playoff run and to when it starts. You can have wins in the bank when that starts. It doesn’t guarantee you a shot to Phoenix, but it sure does hedge your bet and having those points as those rounds reset and go forward. I think that’s the most important thing. Obviously, getting good points and having solid finishes to get yourself in a good position for the regular season championship thing, whatever they call it; I don’t know what the proper term is for it, but it awards a bunch of points if you have a good result there. So, winning and getting yourself good points for the end of the regular season to help carry you to the Playoffs; those Playoff points, however you get them, are the most important thing.”
THERE IS TALK ABOUT THE POSSIBILITY OF NASCAR ADDING A STREET COURSE TO THE SCHEDULE IN THE FUTURE. WHAT ARE YOUR THOUGHTS ON THAT?
“I don’t see anything wrong with it. Again, I’m honestly super excited that this leadership group at NASCAR is branching out and trying new things. Hey, I’m about it. If we go have a street course and it goes terrible, then that’s honestly fine with me because we were trying something different and we weren’t just stuck in the ways that we’ve been doing it for however many years just because that’s how it’s been done. So, I think sometimes we try these new things and we all just have this expectation of something that we don’t know whether it’s reasonable or not, but we have these high expectations. But in reality, I think we should really just be happy that we’re trying something different; and just take pride in that, and just leave it there, whether it goes good or bad. So, I’m all about it and hopefully they can pull it off somewhere and I hope it’s a good race. And if it is great or if not, then try something else.”
HOW DO YOU THINK THE BRISTOL DIRT RACE PLAYED OUT AND WHAT DO YOU FEEL COULD HAVE BEEN DONE BETTER MOVING FORWARD TO NEXT SEASON?
“Such a weird event, you know. The dirt category is small, right, with just that one race. So, it’s not like you go back there in the Fall, which makes it tough; but they say they’re going back there to do it again next year. I think this new car is going to bring a whole new set of challenges in how they can logistically make that work again. I felt like the only bad thing; really, I thought it was a pretty good show for the conditions and what they had to work with. It looked like an old short track race from the 80’s or something, which I thought was cool. I didn’t really think it was much of a dirt race like you typically see. And the reason for that is what we saw in the Truck event with how they cool these cars and the windshields; they just can’t have a tacky track, which is what dirt racing typically has. You see a track that has moisture to it ends up kind of progressing drier and drier as the race goes along. Whereas we started and we were kind of already on the dry side of the spectrum. So, I would love to see it where we could have more of that transition like normal dirt racing has. But just the way these cars are built and the windshields in them and stuff, that’s very difficult. So, all things considered, I think they did a really good job managing that. There were no disasters. They tried to get that Truck race going and they had to stop it. But nothing bad happened. And I thought our race went as smooth as it could have. But this new car is going to bring a new set of challenges that I don’t think anybody really knows about yet. So, we’ll see.”
IS THERE ANY SENSE OF PRESSURE AS THE REIGNING CHAMPION IN TRYING TO GET BACK TO VICTORY LANE? HAS YOUR LIFE REALLY CHANGED MUCH SINCE WINNING THE TITLE?
“To be real honest, my life really hasn’t changed a whole lot like day to day. I can’t say it’s really much different. We’re still very driven to want to go win and compete at a high level. That would be that way whether we had won last year or not. I’m thankful for that. I feel like we have a group that is very driven and not just content with last year’s result. We want to continue to push and get better and that’s where our head is at. Of course, we want to go win. That’s always the goal. But you’re going to have struggles and you’re going to have those bad days. We’ve had a few of them so far this year. But I feel like we have a very strong team. I feel like I have the best group in the garage to go to work with. I feel like they believe in me and I believe in them. They let me do my thing and I let them do theirs. I feel like our relationship is good. I think we all have confidence that we can go compete at a high level and compete for race wins and as long as we believe that, then everything else is really irrelevant. So, I feel very good about that. I feel like we’re in a good place. And we’ve just got to keep pushing and keep pushing ahead. It doesn’t mean it’s going to be easy. Nothing is ever easy. But I feel like we go and compete to win races and do the high level. So, that’s what we’re working on.”
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