Juggling act, change not a concern for Elliott

Gone is spreadsheet-wielding crew chief Greg Ives, who can now be seen heading up the efforts of JR Motorsports founder and namesake Dale Earnhardt Jr. in NASCAR’s Sprint Cup Series.

Likewise, car chief Travis Mack has departed, and has assumed the same duties with Earnhardt Jr.’s No. 88 Hendrick Motorsports outfit.

Veteran crew chief Ernie Cope, who previously handled the organization’s third team that featured several Cup drivers (Earnhardt Jr., Kevin Harvick, Kasey Kahne), is now overseeing the No. 9 team as Elliott begins preparations to defend his series title.

Christopher Allen is the team’s new car chief, while Tristan Smith (lead engineer), Seth Kookier (assistant race engineer) and Rick Pennington (rear end mechanic) are also new to the team. HMS’ Brad Thompson will serve as engine tuner.

“I think it’s kind of like starting over a little bit, I guess, with Ernie and really a whole new group of guys,” Elliott, 19, said. “I think there are only two or three of us that are back with the team from last year, and that includes me.

“Last year we worked pretty closely together. We tried to stay on the same page with setup stuff; we were usually very, very similar last year to (their) car and whatever they were running. I think that relationship helped.

“And we got to work with them firsthand at Road America when Greg was at home with his (new) baby. Having that race behind us will hopefully help us get going.”

A three-time race winner last season, Elliott is attempting to become only the seventh driver in the history of the series to capture back-to-back titles. His first opportunity to get a leg up on the competition comes here on Saturday with the running of the Alert Today Florida 300 (FOX Sports 1, 3:30 pm ET) at Daytona International Speedway.

The son of NASCAR Hall of Fame member Bill Elliott (himself a champion in NASCAR’s premier series), the younger Elliott admits he’s a long way from being an expert in the series. One season and one championship taught him plenty, but there’s still much more to absorb.

“It still kind of feels new to me; I definitely don’t feel like a veteran, that’s for sure,” he said. “It’s crazy to think that it’s already been a year since that first (series) start and that we’re back at Daytona. A year goes by fast.

“I still have a lot to learn, still a lot of new things I’m experiencing, especially with the personnel changes this season.”

Elliott’s journey up the racing ladder has been slow and steady by design. He competed in a mixture of ARCA, NASCAR K&N Pro Series and Camping World Truck Series races – and winning on more than one occasion – while filling the racing void with a Late Model effort. That schedule, he said, helped prepare him for the rigors of last year’s 33-race XFINITY Series schedule.

“I can think back to a couple of years ago when we were running Late Model stuff and we ran something in the mid-40s,” he said. “The number of (XFINITY) races, that didn’t feel like a ton to me; the biggest difference was just the traveling.”

His Late Model efforts were primarily in the Southeast. There were no West Coast trips, or stops in the Midwest.

In addition to defending his series championship, Elliott is also scheduled to make his Sprint Cup Series debut this season. He will drive a fifth car for Hendrick Motorsports in five events before sliding into the group’s No. 24 car in ’16, replacing four-time champion Jeff Gordon.

The five Sprint Cup races are Martinsville (March 29), Richmond (April 25), Charlotte (May 24), Indianapolis (July 26) and Darlington (Sept. 6).

This schedule might be a bit more hectic on those weekends, but it’s something Elliott said he’s eager to attempt.

“The good part about it is that the first race at Martinsville is an off-weekend for the XFINITY Series,” he said. “Having that opportunity to just try to get your feet wet a little bit will be a good time to do that – not having going back and forth.

“But at the same time, I’ve always enjoyed running two races a weekend. I can remember from the go-karting days, I used to always run a couple of races. In Late Model races, the weekend where they had their bigger shows, I used to always try to run the Super and the Pro races as well. I’ve always really liked that.”

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