Rising star Chase Elliott brings family’s inner fire to NASCAR’s biggest stage – Sporting News

The spotlight Sunday will shine brightly on Chase Elliott, the 20-year-old legacy who will start on the pole for the Daytona 500.

But don’t expect the unassuming Elliott to bask in the glory. You won’t see him soaking up the limelight and reveling in the moment.

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Elliott, the son of Hall of Famer Bill Elliott, would rather just walk to his car, climb in and go racing. That’s the way his father did it, and that’s the way he would prefer to do it, too.

Bill Elliott broke into NASCAR’s top series as a shy, 21-year-old rookie from small-town Dawsonville, Ga. He arrived with a family-owned team that built its own engines, worked on its own cars and kept to itself. They went about their business and stayed away from the drama and spotlight.

That’s the way Chase wants it, too.

“Yeah, man, he did things right, you know,” he said. “They showed up at the racetrack, did their thing and left. They didn’t get caught up in any of the mess and any of the dumb stuff that goes on around these places. I like that. I like doing my job and then leaving.”

When Elliott won the Daytona 500 pole last Sunday, there was little celebrating, no boasting and bragging and, really, very little enthusiasm. In his post-qualifying press conference, he credited his team, honored Jeff Gordon, and that was about it. No secrets, no insight, no glimpse at the hidden traits that make Elliott tick.

Two days later, at NASCAR Media Day, more of the same. Elliott even had to be asked whether he ever smiled.

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No reason to smile yet. He hadn’t done anything, he said.

“I don’t know, for me, it’s more for the guys to celebrate, not for me,” Elliott said. “There was nothing special I did to make that happen on Sunday.”

Dale Earnhardt Jr., another driver who grew up in the shadow of a legendary father, understands. He knows where young Elliott is coming from.

“He’s probably worried about perception,” Earnhardt said. “I think when I see a driver make those style of comments, he’s just trying to say the right thing. He doesn’t want to step on anybody’s toes or give anybody the wrong idea.

“He’s very focused. He wants people to know he’s very focused. … He just wants people to understand that he’s committed, he’s a hard worker, and he’s here to accomplish his dreams and goals and win races and championships. He doesn’t want people to lose sight of that or make assumptions that he’s taking things for granted, I guess. And he’s young. He doesn’t know how to celebrate yet.”

He will soon. Elliott replaces Gordon in the No. 24 car at Hendrick Motorsports. The 2014 Xfinity Series champion, he has the talent and resources to win soon. He may not win the Daytona 500 — or he might — but team owner Rick Hendrick predicts he will win at least one race and make the Chase as a rookie.

He’s off to a good start. He won the pole for NASCAR’s biggest race and, on Saturday, won a thrilling, physical duel with 2015 Daytona 500 winner Joey Logano in the Xfinity race at Daytona.

Big things are expected.

Said teammate and six-time champion Jimmie Johnson: “Thankfully his dad is Bill Elliott. Thankfully he’s grown up in these motorhome lots, at the tracks, on the road. He’s watched his father have great success. He’s got a very, very good pulse on things. We all see it and we all know he’s going to do a very good job.”

It won’t be easy. He will face some major challenges. The high expectations, created by both his early success and the high standards set by Gordon. The constant comparisons to his father.

And the demands that come with being a fan favorite — a status he will inherit from his dad, a 16-time most popular driver, and Earnhardt, his teammate and the sport’s most popular driver the past 13 years.

Earnhardt can relate. He was rookie in 2000, driving his father’s Dale Earnhardt Inc. car, while also racing against the legendary driver.

He said the toughest challenge Elliott will face will be the off-track demands on his time. As a well-sponsored Sprint Cup driver, he will be ushered here and there for appearances and other commitments.

“He’s going to be asked to be in all these places not related to driving racecars,” Earnhardt said. “You’re like, ‘Man, you know, I don’t want to do this, I want to drive the car. I came to drive. I’m here to race.’

He’s going to find that he’s going to be busy Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday. There’s going to be weeks that will be running in a blur. You’re going to be flying here, flying there. It’s going to be a lot of inconvenience.”

He will also be asked to do things he’s never done, and will probably be uncomfortable with.  

“You’re going to be in situations where you’re talking in front of people that you don’t know, you don’t know why you’re there, what you’re supposed to be talking about,” Earnhardt said. “They just kind of put you out there in these situations where you’re very uncomfortable, and it’s very stressful. That part, I think, is something that will be more challenging than anything else.”

Earnhardt had a successful rookie season, winning two points races, plus The Winston all-star race. But he struggled in the second half of the season and finished 16th in points. Late in the 34-race season, he hit a wall.

“With 10 races to go, I was ready for it to end,” he said. “That’s not good. For a racecar driver, you want the racing season to keep continuing because you’re enjoying it so much. But that first year, you just run so hard coming in. You’re excited, you’re pumped up, you’re exerting all this energy for nothing early. You kind of can wear yourself down.”

Then there’s the increased competition, a step drivers moving up from the Xfinity Series can’t fathom until they arrive in Sprint Cup. Elliott has won five Xfinity races and one truck race and finished first and second in Xfinity points. But he struggled in his five-race Cup trial last year, logging an average finish of 26.2 with a best finish of 16th.

“It’s going to be tougher than what you think,” said Austin Dillon, a rookie in 2014 who still hasn’t won a Cup race. “It’s definitely the best 40 drivers every week. You expect to compete with them, but you learn over a bit of time that it’s going to take an extra effort from you more than what you thought.”

Elliott knows what’s coming, and he’s prepared for it.

“Obviously I want to do the best job I can behind the wheel,” he said. “The only pressure that’s relevant is that that I put upon myself. That’s the only thing that matters. … We want to achieve our goals and not worry about the rest.”

Elliott has a secret weapon — a father who once went through the same thing and survived to win 44 Cup races, including a historic 11-win season in 1985, and the 1988 championship.

“He’s been around this deal a long time,” Elliott said of his father. “He’s in a unique position because he’s watched the sport change in a way that a lot of people haven’t. For him to be there first-hand and kind of see how things have come as far as they have from a media standpoint and just how much things have changed from the ’80s to now is pretty dramatic.

“I think from that side, he can be helpful. There’s a lot of things that you guys don’t see, that people watching at home don’t see, that you might go through struggles or just situations that you don’t realize even happen. He’s been there. I think he’ll be helpful in all those roles.”
 
Along the way, as he grows into his role as the sport’s next rising star, Elliott plans to continue being the humble, unassuming driver his father was.  

“His father raised him to be modest, not boisterous and things like that,” Earnhardt said. “I think he just wants to tone down the level of excitement. He wants to temper expectations. He’ll eventually get more comfortable.  

“When he wins, he’ll come out of his shell.”