CONCORD, N.C. -- Chase Elliott still is soaking up his impressive win at Martinsville Speedway, which secured his spot in the Championship 4 at Phoenix Raceway on Sunday.
The driver of the No. 9 NAPA AUTO PARTS Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 1LE said he’s still wrapping his head around racing for a title for the first time and is taking this week step by step.
“I’ve never been in this position before, so I think myself, much like a lot of people around me, are kind of learning this together,” Elliott said. “For me, I’m just taking it a day at a time and just enjoying the moment.”
Crew chief Alan Gustafson will be making a trip to the Championship 4 for the second time in his career. He said the entire No. 9 team is “hungry” to bring a title back to Hendrick Motorsports and that he trusts Elliott and his pit crew to focus on the task at hand.
“Everybody is really motivated,” Gustafson said. “We want to do this for each other, for Hendrick Motorsports and for Chase. We are just going to work really, really hard and do everything we can. The best thing I can do is make these decisions to guide throughout the week.”
Elliott and Gustafson said they both talked to team owner Rick Hendrick after the team’s exciting win at Martinsville and that he was thrilled to have a car back in the Championship 4 after three seasons.
“We wanted to make sure we got a car from Hendrick Motorsports into the final four,” Gustafson said. “I’m happy to do that for (Hendrick). We talked about Chase a lot, what an incredible person and driver he is. I’m excited to go to Phoenix and race.”
If Elliott wins the NASCAR Cup Series title, he will be part of the third father-son duo to earn a championship. Father Bill Elliott won a championship in 1988, and Elliott said he realized this was a special opportunity and that making it into the final four is not something to take for granted.
“I’ve heard my dad say that over the years that he wished he enjoyed certain moments more and didn’t just run through them,” Elliott said. “This is a big opportunity. It’s not an easy thing to make the final four. It’s not something you should ever take for granted. It may not ever be here again, so I recognize that.”
Tune in Sunday at 3 p.m. ET on NBC to see Elliott compete for his first title at Phoenix Raceway.