Fresh off extension, Elliott looks for breakthrough win at Daytona

RELATED: Elliott inks contract extension DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. -- Days after signing a contract extension with Hendrick Motorsports, two-time Daytona 500 pole-winner Chase Elliott addressed the racing media at Daytona International Speedway to talk about his season, his chances in Saturday’s Coke Zero 400 (7:30 p.m. ET, NBC, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio) and his teammate Dale Earnhardt Jr.’s “last Cup run” on the famous high banks. The 21-year-old Elliott agreed to a four-year extension kicking in at the end of next year that will keep the second-generation star driving the No. 24 Chevrolet for Rick Hendrick through at least the 2022 season. "It's definitely been an exciting week," Elliott said. "I'm thankful for the opportunity to stay at Hendrick Motorsports for another five and a half years. ... I owe so much to Mr. Hendrick and what he's done for me and really just kind of believing in me from the time I met him, for some reason, and still does and has continued to do that as time has gone along. " ... Not just for the opportunities he's given me, but for the faith he’s had in me over the years. Even when nobody else does, he does, and he’s made that very apparent for everybody else to see. That means a lot to me. You don't see people like that in this world very often these days that are willing to go out of they way to help you. And he's one of those guys.” RELATED: Elliott 'excited' by extension, appreciative of Hendrick's faith in him Elliott is hoping to turn his luck around post-qualifying, in the actual races here. His 14th-place-finish in the Daytona 500 in February came after running out of gas while leading. He led 23 of the race's final 26 laps, giving up the lead to Martin Truex Jr. for a lap, then Kyle Larson for a lap. Both ran out of gas as well and Kurt Busch took the win. He was 24th fastest in opening Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series practice on Thursday. "I feel like our race this past February, just the execution of the Duels, the whole 500 race and all that went really, really well," Elliott said. "We ran better throughout the whole course of the race in this past 500 than we did in 2016. "We didn't make it very far in 2016 (he finished 37th) but regardless, I think our car was more suited to run well in the race this past year and I think I noticed that and it showed up and was pretty apparent when the race started. " ... When you talk about plate racing you want to be the guy that everybody wants to work with to push and help," he continued. "If that is the case, then opportunities are going to be there that typically wouldn't be if you were slower and couldn't make a lane move forward.  It's really hard to see that in practice and see who is going to be that person or what cars are going to be those cars that you want to work with. But once the race starts, it becomes apparent who those cars are and who is going to be good. It seems like people are just magically more interested in helping you and being with you when that is the case, so that is our goal." As is the case with many of this weekend's competitors, Elliott was asked how he might handle a case of beating his Hendrick teammate Dale Earnhardt Jr. in what could be Earnhardt’s last premier series race at Daytona. RELATED: Kurt Busch calls Junior the car to beat Without hesitation, Elliott said he'd race his 14-time Most Popular Driver teammate as hard as ever for the win -- especially considering it would potentially be Elliott’s first win. "He is a teammate and a great friend, but I certainly want to out-run him," Elliott said. "I am not going to feel bad about out-running someone for sure if I can do it. "I am sure there are a lot of fans and a lot of people who would love to see it but as a racer I think it’s hard to pull for anybody else.  I think he would say the same thing about me or anybody else, so like I said, it’s definitely a big day at Daytona for sure." Pressed on the issue, Elliott smiled and quickly reiterated his absolute no-doubt answer. If he is running second to Earnhardt on the last lap? "I am just hoping I have the right push to get around him," Elliott said. No hesitation? "Absolutely not. I wouldn't think twice about it if I had an opportunity to pass him," he said. “I am not going to let anybody win. Would you?" [gallery_content baseUrl="https://www.nascar.com" galleryID="413"]