[autotag]Chase Elliott[/autotag] doesn’t have a top-10 finish through two races to start the 2024 NASCAR season but the results aren’t representative of his success. Elliott won Stage 1 of the Daytona 500 but picked the wrong lane at the end of the race. At Atlanta Motor Speedway, the driver of the No. 9 car was involved in several wrecks and managed to finish in 15th place.
Ahead of the 2024 season, Elliott talked about improving after a rough 2023 campaign that featured an injury and suspension. The Hendrick Motorsports driver talked about his mindset through FOX Sports’ Bob Pockrass in a fascinating fashion.
“It’s not about rebounding or whatever,” Elliott said. “It’s just getting to the level that we feel we’re capable of achieving. And that’s really all that matters to me…We’ve identified some areas that need to be improved upon. Step one is identifying it. And then after that, it’s going to work and trying to find solutions.”
Chase Elliott wins Stage 1! #NASCAR #DAYTONA500 pic.twitter.com/Xz2udZdfK4
— FOX: NASCAR (@NASCARONFOX) February 19, 2024
“[The 2023 season] wasn’t all doom and gloom. There were some high spots, and we had a few opportunities to win that we didn’t capitalize on. But I think more than anything, we just have not been performing and I have not been performing as I expect of myself, and like we expect of our team. We just want to do the job that we feel like we’re capable of doing and try to get to that point and do it consistently. That’s all we’re looking for.”
Elliott understands that he needs to be a better driver following a tough season, and he is capable of living up to the expectations. The driver of the No. 9 car is a Cup Series champion and has won races yearly outside of 2023. Elliott may not have the speed of William Byron and Kyle Larson to start the new campaign, but everything will come into the picture at Las Vegas Motor Speedway this weekend.
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