NASCAR SPRINT CUP SERIES
AXALTA ‘WE PAINT WINNERS’ 400
POCONO RACEWAY
TEAM CHEVY DRIVER PRESS CONFERENCE TRANSCRIPT
JUNE 3, 2016

CHASE ELLIOTT, NO. 24 NAPA AUTO PARTS CHEVROLET SS met with media and discussed his outlook for Pocono, his lack of experience here, expected results for himself and the team, the importance of practice time, and more. Full Transcript:

JIMMIE JOHNSON, IN 2002, IS THE ONLY OTHER DRIVER TO RECORD NINE TOP-10’S THROUGH HIS FIRST 13 RACES IN HIS ROOKIE SEASON. HOW MUCH WILL YOUR PREVIOUS EXPERIENCE HERE IN THE ARCA SERIES HELP YOU ON SUNDAY?
“Well, Jimmie also had a win in his first however many races. So, there’s still some work to do for us on all fronts. But, I do think having that ARCA race in ’13 is definitely helpful. I think the biggest thing to take from that is they had reconfigured the track at that point, to the current configuration. I don’t think it has changed a whole lot. I think it has picked up some bumps here and there from the harsh winters up here, I would assume. Other than that, I think it will be pretty similar. That race will hopefully be helpful. It’s been a while, so I’m going to have to think back a good ways on some of the things we fought when we were here but it was good to have that run here, if nothing else, and hopefully just some extra laps. It looks like the weather for this weekend may limit our practice. So, everything we can get prior to Sunday will be helpful.”

HOW DO YOU THINK THE AERO PACKAGE WILL WORK WITH A UNIQUE TRACK LIKE THIS? DO YOU THINK IT’S GOING TO PLAY MORE OF A FACTOR THAN USUAL?
“I don’t think it will be a whole lot different than anywhere else. I think the improvements that they’ve made, as fast as the package goes, I think will be as big of a difference as it would be anywhere else. So, yes, this place is unique and obviously having three different turns and having to find that balance to work in all of them the best you can, is tough. But I wouldn’t expect the current package to be any different here than anywhere else.”

WITH THE POSSIBLE LACK OF PRACTICE TIME AND MAYBE NOT QUALIFYING, DEPENDING ON THE WEATHER, HOW DO YOU THINK THAT WILL AFFECT THINGS THIS WEEKEND? DOES THAT FAVOR VETERANS WHO HAVE A LOT OF EXPERIENCE HERE?
“Yeah, that’s definitely a good question and it’s something that we’ve thought about a lot coming into the weekend. This is a place I haven’t raced at a whole lot. Only having a couple of starts here, which has been a few years, even since those. Even if the weather was perfect, there’s only two practices this weekend versus normally three, on a normal race weekend. So, we’re already kind of cut short on practice, but I do think that will definitely be a challenge, for sure, for me; as it looks like the rain is going to cut us short at least may be in practice today. We might even only have one this weekend. So, making the most of that one I think will be important for me. And yes, I do think it will be a challenge for the guys who haven’t been here a lot.”

IT SEEMS LIKE YOU HAVE GAINED MOMENTUM THE LAST FEW WEEKS AND HAVE GOTTEN CLOSER TO POTENTIALLY BREAKING THROUGH WITH A WIN. ARE YOU TO A PLACE WHERE IT WOULD SURPRISE YOU IF YOU DIDN’T, AT LEAST, BREAK THROUGH AND SECURE A WIN THIS SEASON?
“I don’t know. Obviously there are so many good cars each week. It’s not easy anywhere you go. So, I definitely, as I’ve said, I feel like I have a team and a group of guys that are capable of winning if I do my part for them. I truly believe that. When I come to the race track each weekend, I really have the strong belief that our team can win. I think that’s something that’s important for all of us to believe. And if we didn’t believe that, we might as well stay home. That’s the mindset we have coming into each race weekend, regardless of where it is. And that’s our mindset here just as it is everywhere else. We’re working hard at it. If I could tell the future, I’d tell you. But, we’re going to give it our best effort to do that and if we do, great. If we don’t, it sure won’t be for a lack of effort.”

HOW DO YOU FEEL ABOUT YOUR POINTS POSITION HALFWAY THROUGH THE REGULAR SEASON? IT SEEMS LIKE YOU’RE IN A PRETTY GOOD SPOT. DO YOU LOOK AT IT LIKE YOU NEED TO GET A LOT OF TOP 10’S? DO YOU FEEL LIKE YOU NEED TO KEEP DOING WHAT YOU’RE DOING? DO YOU FEEL PRETTY GOOD ABOUT WHERE YOU ARE?
“I feel like we’ve had some weekends that have been better than others. And certainly, I think we’re in a decent spot in points. The thing about points is they really don’t matter anymore as we’ve all talked about and read articles about and heard everybody speak about it over the past couple of years with this new format. So, the way I see it is yes, you can ‘points’ your way in; but to have a shot you’ve got to be a consistent contender to win races. And I think we have a little bit of work to do to be amongst those consistent contenders that have the ability each week, and those are the guys you’re going to have to beat when it comes this fall. Yes, I think we’re in a decent spot, but like I said, you’ve got to have the ability to win each week to have a chance.”