DAYTONA BEACH, Fla.: Coming into the 2024 Season, Chase Elliott knows that he has to reset and move forward from the frustrating results he had during the past season.
The Dawsonville, Ga. native acknowledges there is a lot of work to be done.
“There is a sense of a new opportunity, and I’m appreciative of that. There’s also a realistic understanding that your problems don’t disappear because of the calendar change from ’23 to ’24.
Despite knowing that it is a team effort, Elliott would go on to state that he is part of the problem and the solution “We know that we need to be better, and I need to be better, and intend on continuing to build on what we were working on at the end of last year, and just keep our heads down and keep pushing.”
With the number of issues the team had last year, Elliott knows that it would have been easy for team members to jump ship, but fortunately for him, that didn’t happen. They stood together, acknowledged what happened, and moved on together.
“When I look at where our team is mentally, our drive and our will, and our willingness to fight and not quit, I think it’s at an all-time high, to be honest with you. I’m just super proud of those things, regardless of how the season goes, because I work with a group of guys who don’t want to give up on me.
“I don’t want to give up on them. That, in my opinion, is a huge hurdle in trying to get back to where we think we can be and where I feel where we belong.”
During the Daytona 500 Media Day, the No. 9 Napa Auto Parts Chevrolet driver admitted that his driving habits and the car don’t always mesh well and are part of the problem.
“I just think I have some bad habits that this car doesn’t like, and I have to address it ultimately.” When asked what it was explicitly, Elliott deferred and stated, “Things we talk about behind closed doors.”
One thing is clear, though. Chase Elliott has his mind set on winning The Great America Race.
Not just for him or the team but especially for his crew chief, Alan Gustafson. “It would be awesome to check that box. We’ve had a couple of opportunities, but my biggest reason for really wanting to win the (DAYTONA) 500 is because Alan has never won it.
Knowing and acknowledging that to win the DAYTONA 500 is not only special for the driver, but for the others who work with and for him, Elliott mentions, “When you work with a guy like that who has had a lot of success, it is kind of rare to be able to help him achieve something he has not already achieved. That would be a big one.”
Elliott knows that he has a team that will fight for him and with him to get them back to where he knows they can be. “We always want to do good. Our fire shouldn’t be in question. We might be frustrated or in a bad mood some days, but it’s because we want to do well, not for another reason.”
Chase Elliott gets to start back on his upward path on Wednesday night in qualifying for the Daytona 500 as well as the Bluegreen Vacations Duels on Thursday night at Daytona International Speedway.
Follow Grace Krenrich on Twitter at @grace3140 or email [email protected]
