Chase Elliott before Duel 1 at Daytona (Photo: Cornnell Chu | The Podium Finish)
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — It is no secret that Chase Elliott and the No. 9 team had a tumultuous 2023 season with him missing six races due to a fractured tibia, a one-race suspension after the Coca-Cola 600 and missing the Cup Series Playoffs for the first time since moving up to the Cup Series in 2016.
However, that is all in the past and, this week, a new NASCAR season has officially arrived. Elliott spoke this week about what he has done throughout the offseason to learn from last season and prepare for the 2024 season.
“I spent a good bit of time at the shop,” Elliott said. Obviously, we had a lot of prep and whatnot before the Clash, too I feel like our team is in a good place. When you have a year like last year, it is really easy for a team to blow up from the inside. Really easy. You don’t know how easy.”
“When I look at where our team is at 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. My relationship with Alan (Gustafson) is as good as it’s ever been. 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.”
On track, Elliott qualified fifth for the Daytona 500 on Wednesday and raced in Duel 1 on Thursday evening. The Dawsonville, Georgia, native started his duel in the third position and was able to secure a second-place finish at the end of the 60 lap race.
After the race, Elliott spoke about how he felt about his car, and how he feels going into the Daytona 500.
“I thought our NAPA Chevy was pretty good. I mean all things considered, we’re locked-in from qualifying, setup-wise and stuff, so I thought our car drove pretty good considering everything you try to do to go fast for a lap. I was pleased. I thought we had a good night of execution to put ourselves in a good position there.”
“We came up a little bit short, but I thought overall, it was a solid effort. We kept the car in one piece, which is a big deal I feel like for Sunday. Looking forward to it.”
Without a doubt, Chase Elliott will be a driver to keep your eyes on throughout the 2024 season, especially the first races of the season as he looks to have the success he clearly expects from himself and has had in the past.
