MONSTER ENERGY NASCAR CUP SERIES
NEW HAMPSHIRE MOTOR SPEEDWAY
FOXWOODS RESORT CASINO 301
TEAM CHEVY PRESS CONF. TRANSCRIPT
JULY 19, 2019
CHASE ELLIOTT, NO. 9 KELLEY BLUE BOOK CAMARO ZL1 Media Breakout Session Highlights:
ON THE FOLKS THAT BROADCAST THE RACES
“When I think of listening to races, I just think of the picture that you guys create in someone’s head when you’re riding down the road listening to the races, is second to none. It’s been awesome to grow up around that and have the broadcasters paint the picture of what’s going on.”
ON POCONO NEXT WEEK AND THE ADDITION OF TRACTION COMPOUND
“Oh, I think it’ll be great. Pocono is Pocono. And, I can’t even remember how we did there, although I don’t think it was very good a few weeks ago. So, hopefully we can improve upon that.”
THE KENTUCKY RACE SEEMED TO BE A LITTLE STEP BACK FOR HENDRICK MOTORSPORTS. IS THAT TROUBLING FOR YOU GUYS?
“No, it was just a bad Saturday night it looked like to me. It happens and I think nobody wants to struggle like we did last week. Those days aren’t fun. But, Kentucky has frankly been a struggle point I feel like for me, and in my career, personally, since I started going there racing an ARCA car. I haven’t run worth a crap in anything there. Got lucky in a couple of restarts and finished good there in one Cup race but it wasn’t because I did a really good job or whatever. So, I think I have a lot of work to do there, personally. Alan (Gustafson, crew chief) is like I haven’t run there very good, either, in my career. So, two bad efforts at the same race track doesn’t equal a good last week. So, we’ll go to work on it and I think we have some good topics of conversation. The good news is we only go there once and don’t have to worry about it again until next year.
“You can’t write it off. And I guess the unfortunate side of that is that Texas is now very similar to what Kentucky is, especially with the way Turns 1 and 2 are shaped; very similar to (Turns) 3 and 4. We’ve had struggles at Texas since the repave and to me they’re very similar to what we fought at Kentucky this past weekend. I think a lot of that is on me. William (Byron) was fairly fast last weekend, and I think there’s something about the way those corners are shaped and myself don’t work together really well, or whatever it is. The feel I’m looking for isn’t realistic. So, yeah, we just need to do a better job. I think if we can make Kentucky better, Texas will show; which obviously is a much more important event in the way the schedule falls.”
ON THE RECENT RACES
“We had an engine failure at Sonoma. We got wrecked like everybody else did at Daytona. Yes, Kentucky was bad. But I think there is silver lining in how we ran. At Chicago I thought we had a good car. We had a mishap there during the race on pit road. So, I think our speed is certainly attainable and I think we can get to competing for wins and I know the last few weeks haven’t been very good finishes; but I still feel like we can compete.”
HOW GOOD OR BAD OR INDIFFERENT IS THE PJ1?
“It’s kind of the same as I feel like it’s been the past couple of trips here. I think it’s better. Anything is better at this place, frankly. So, I think it’s an improvement. To me, that grippy stuff at a place like this, when they put it down just to make something change, I think is nice, as the race goes. Like that stuff is going to wear off and you’re going to have to move around to find that grip, which I feel like is exciting and fun for us to try to find something different as the race goes.
“I think it’s about the same as it was here last year. But, I think it’s a good thing to have here and I think it helps this place and I think it changes as the day goes, which is kind of cool. You don’t typically get that at a NASCAR race and so, I like it.”
ON BLOCKING AND SIDE-DRAFTING AND AGGRESSION, HAVE YOU NOTICED THE AGGRESSION PICK UP, OR IS IT THIS CAR MODEL THAT IS MAKING YOU REACT DUE TO A LACK OF PASSING OR DIFFICULTY IN PASSING?
“I just think everybody, as time goes, has a better understanding of what’s advantageous and what’s not. And everybody also has learned what puts the other guy in a bad situation and what doesn’t. So, now everybody just takes advantage of those moments. If it’s side-drafting a guy down the straightaway or if it’s sticking it on his door; getting in the corner if you’re the outside guy. It’s just a lot of aero-game and I’m sure as the teams do a better job of keeping the cars lower to the race track all the way around the track, the cars drive different and we all know the advantages of that from the driver’s seat. And, I just think the air games are going to continue. I just think everybody has gotten smarter and everybody knows those are the things you have to do to pass or block or whatever. You’ve just got to do it.”
About Chevrolet
Founded in 1911 in Detroit, Chevrolet is one of the world’s largest car brands, doing business in more than 100 countries and selling more than 4.0 million cars and trucks a year. Chevrolet provides customers with fuel-efficient vehicles that feature engaging performance, design that makes the heart beat, passive and active safety features and easy-to-use technology, all at a value. More information on Chevrolet models can be found at www.chevrolet.com.
