Curbing Elliott's hunger, but not his will to win

"They turned the junk food bin into a cabinet for pots and pans, if that tells you anything right there," said Chase Elliott, 18 and two days away from being officially labeled the 2014 NASCAR Nationwide Series champion.

According to team owner Dale Earnhardt Jr. and crew chief Greg Ives, it's one of the few signs that in spite of his immense talent behind the wheel of a race car, Elliott is still just an 18-year-old kid.

"Like any other teenager," mom Cindy Elliott said after Thursday's contenders' press conference at Homestead-Miami Speedway. "A lot of energy, always eating."

The "contenders" part was a bit of a misnomer. Matt Crafton has yet to distance himself adequately from Ryan Blaney to secure the Camping World Truck Series title, so both drivers along with their respective crew chiefs and owners were on hand Thursday.

But the battle for the Nationwide Series title was put to rest a week ago in Phoenix. Elliott, son of 1988 NASCAR premier series champion and Hall of Fame member Bill Elliott, can't be caught by teammate Regan Smith, second in points, or anyone else regardless of the outcome of Saturday's Ford EcoBoost 300 (ESPN2, 4:30 p.m. ET).

Thus the Nationwide portion of the program featured Elliott, Earnhardt Jr. and Ives. No one's catching the No. 9 JR Motorsports team.

There are 18-year-olds that wouldn't know a clutch pedal from a pedal steel guitar. Elliott didn't have a steering wheel attached to the side of his crib, but he certainly drives as if he's known all along how to turn left and go fast.

Although this is his first season in the series, Elliott's rookie status was never a serious concern or an excuse when things didn't go well. Those times, after all, were few and far between.

His first win came in the sixth race, at Texas, and he followed that up the next week with a victory at Darlington, considered one of the most difficult tracks on the schedule.

By the 18th race, he was back in Victory Lane again, winning at Chicago. In 32 starts, he's finished 10th or higher 26 times. As he maintained his points advantage, there was no easing off the throttle – he's placed fifth or better in four of his last six races.

Such success might make it difficult to remember that he's barely old enough to vote and picked up his high school diploma earlier this year.

But there are times.

"He'll often ask where the bathrooms are; maybe (the result of) not being at the race track often enough," said Ives, grinning.

"Or (ask) what's to eat. He's always eating somewhere. We had to start taking away the junk food … because his metabolism is just – he's trying to keep that fed.

"… I don't even know what he was eating, but I know he was eating a lot."

Things that are discussed in non-racing situations, said Earnhardt Jr., serve as reminders of the youthfulness of one of his two drivers.

"The things that are important to him definitely are what revolves around most 18‑year‑olds," Earnhardt Jr., a two-time Busch (now Nationwide) Series champ himself, said. "Just having a simple conversation (earlier) about what his plans were after the race this weekend, and as soon as the banquet's over, he's going back home to get his stuff ready for the Snowball Derby.

"So his priorities are definitely different than a lot of people's, but he's still very focused and very driven, determined, (he) just loves to race, enjoys being in the cars."

The only time you forget Elliott is a teenager, he said "is definitely when he's behind the wheel."

Ives, who will depart at season's end to become crew chief for Earnhardt Jr. at Hendrick Motorsports in the Sprint Cup Series agreed.

"When it comes to the race track, when it comes to his professionalism," he said, "(he's) not even close to being and 18-year-old kid. He's so impressive."

MORE:

READ: Latest Chase news	PLAY: Monitor your Chase Grid Game picks	WATCH: Latest NASCAR video	FOLLOW LIVE: Get RaceView