MONSTER ENERGY NASCAR CUP SERIES
DOVER INTERNATIONAL SPEEDWAY
GANDER RV 400
TEAM CHEVY PRESS CONF. TRANSCRIPT
MAY 3, 2019
CHASE ELLIOTT, NO. 9 NAPA BRAKES CAMARO ZL1, met with media and discussed Sunday’s race at Dover, his victory the previous week at Talladega Superspeedway and more. Full Transcript:
WHAT’S YOUR REACTION, FEELING AS A DRIVER TO SINGLE-CAR QUALIFYING?
“It’s fine; I would say probably a good thing overall. It’s just simplifies a lot of stuff, which I think is good. It’s the way I learned to qualify and kind of got started and I’m sure like everybody else did. The group qualifying is fine, I think it will be fine at road courses and probably makes more sense at those places anyway. You just don’t think about it. When it’s your turn you go and if you don’t like it get over it.”
ARE THE SPEEDS APPROACHING A DANGER ZONE? DO YOU AGREE?
“You’re paid to go fast so let’s go fast. It’s not fun hitting something real hard anytime you do and certainly isn’t going to feel good when you do it at these speeds. Definitely it’s physical for sure and I think this is going to be a very physical race on Sunday, especially if the sun comes out and it’s hot. It’s fast. Is it too fast? Like I said, this is our job, what we sign up for and I think it is what it is.”
YOU WON AT KANSAS LAST YEAR. WHAT ARE SOME OF THE CHALLENGES OF DRIVING THERE AND WHY DOES IT SUIT YOUR DRIVING STYLE?
“Kansas has become a cool place. I think as it has aged that outside lane has really prevailed and I think that will continue to be that way. I think it’s going to be a top lane-dominant racetrack as it continues to wear and age, and as time goes on even more than it already is. So that makes it difficult. It’s hard to make a lot happen in a hurry when everybody is riding the wall and up in those top grooves. That’s the challenge of it is trying to pass and move forward. It’s a difficult thing to do when everybody is griping the top.”
DOES THE CHANGE IN THE SPEED CHANGE HOW YOU ATTACK THE TRACK OR CHANGE HOW YOU STRATEGICALLY LOOK AT IT?
“I don’t think it really changes the strategy, but it’s definitely fast for sure. You’re always going to drive to that limit, whatever it is, until you’re as uncomfortable as can be basically. I don’t think it changes the strategy, but it’s definitely quick.”
WHAT WAS THE FUNNEST THING THAT HAPPENED AFTER YOUR WIN LAST WEEK?
“Just having my mom and grandma at the racetrack on Sunday was the coolest part. Mom missed all the wins last year and my grandmother doesn’t hardly get to any races; she’s in her 80s and likes to watch on TV so it’s rare for her to be there. That was a very special deal. They are hard enough to win much less important people like that in your life to be there and enjoy it with you.”
CHEVROLET LOOKED SUPER FAST DURING THIS FIRST PRACTICE. DOES THAT GIVE YOU CONFIDENCE HEADING INTO SUNDAY?
“You’d rather be fast than slow, I guess. It definitely never hurts anything. It’s still too early to tell; qualifying practice is always a little different than race practice and certainly the race on Sunday. Like I say all the time, you’re still going to have to beat the same crowd on Sunday no matter what. The good drivers and teams are still going to be the guys to beat no matter what they’re driving, but I did think it was encouraging to see the Chevys have some good pace. Like I said, I’d rather be there than the opposite position.”
ON MEMORIAL DAY WEEKEND NASCAR HONORS ALL THE MILITARY AND DRIVERS HAVE A MEMBER ON THEIR CAR. WHY IS IT IMPORTANT TO HONOR THE MILITARY, ESPECIALLY NASCAR SEEMS LIKE THEY DO IT A LOT?
“I don’t know of us doing that is even saying thanks enough. I think a lot of times there are certain situations that we don’t see but you hear stories of men and women who are serving overseas or whatever they have a chance to watch the races. If that’s providing entertainment for them in a way to check out of what they have going on and get their current situation off their minds and enjoy a race or a football game or baseball game of whatever it is, I think it’s great. I feel like they’ve embraced us a lot and have shown a lot of support to us even watching overseas, the very least we could do is show the appreciation we do. At the end of the day, what we do is not even enough. Always look forward to the 600.”
THE CARS ARE FASTER THIS WEEKEND. DO YOU SEE THAT CHANGING THE COMPLEXION OF GETTING INTO SOME LONG GREEN FLAG RUN?
“We already kind of had that here, so I think track position is going to be huge. I think it’s going to be difficult to go up and get to a guy’s bumper. It already was, but I think it’s going to be magnified even more. Track position is going to be massive. Having good pit stops, good restarts, being in the right lane on the restart could make or break your day.”
Team Chevy high-resolution racing photos are available for editorial use.
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