TALLADEGA, Ala. — You don’t often find a mixture of self-deprecation and confidence in the NASCAR garage. The ability to point out your faults and also know you can win at NASCAR’s highest level is rare. It’s a quality Chase Elliott has mastered when it comes to his approach to superspeedway racing.
In six Talladega Superspeedway starts, Elliott has never qualified outside of the top 10 but only has two top-five finishes. Elliott said it’s not because the cars aren’t fast, it’s mostly on him.
“I think the lack of good finishes is probably more just poor decisions on my part or being in a bad spot,” Elliott told NASCAR.com on Friday at the 2.66-mile track. “Whatever it is, it’s been different. Sometimes there have been days that I probably could have done something different to have a better result, other days maybe not. It’s definitely not for the lack of a fast car.”
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This weekend, Elliott knows that to contend, he will need a strategy to team up and take on the fleet of Ford Performance, which has won the last seven Talladega events. In Daytona, the Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolets worked with Joe Gibbs Racing in an effort to thwart the Ford contingent.
Heading into this weekend, Elliott is tight-lipped when it comes to strategy, but said the superspeedway “stampede” of Mustangs has his attention.
“I think for us, we obviously as a group at Chevrolet, we want to break that up and do a better job,” Elliott said. “I look forward to the challenge. I certainly respect them and what they have done and being able to stick together. I don’t necessary like it.”
On top of it all, Elliott and the rest will use a new aero package this weekend. The cars have shed the long-running restrictor plates, adding more drag and more horsepower. Even with the changes, Elliott said the way the race will play out ultimately falls into the drivers’ hands.
“I think the attitudes and aggression levels of how people want to act on Sunday is probably going to decide how the race unfolds,” Elliott said. “I think that is up to us and how we wake up on Sunday and want to be. That’s just kind of part of it.”