CONCORD, N.C. -- With the new year officially here and the start of the 2016 season at Daytona International Speedway only five Sundays away, Chase Elliott is preparing to take over the No. 24 Chevrolet SS full-time for his debut season in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series.
With Elliott’s huge success in the NASCAR XFINITY Series (NXS), including becoming the youngest champion in NASCAR series history in 2014, his Hendrick Motorsports teammates have no doubts that he will be a competitive force in the premier series in 2016.
“I think the odds are very good,” Dale Earnhardt Jr. said of whether or not Elliott will be able to jump right in and perform at a high level. “If you look at other guys, who obviously have talent, who have stepped into a great race car with a great race team and a great crew chief. He has got an amazing opportunity to get in one of the best cars in the business and he has the talent.”
In addition to his aptitude behind the wheel, Elliott has a wealth of knowledge, experience and resources at his fingertips at Hendrick Motorsports, including the iconic No. 24 car and crew chief Alan Gustafson.
“I anticipate him having all the resources and information he needs to compete,” Earnhardt continued. “He will do a great job. I anticipate him having a strong season that he will be proud of.”
Elliott also has five Cup races under his belt already, as he competed in the No. 25 NAPA AUTO PARTS Chevrolet SS in 2015 at Martinsville Speedway, Richmond International Raceway, Charlotte Motor Speedway, Indianapolis Motor Speedway and Darlington Raceway, as well as a non-points appearance in the Sprint Showdown.
Plus, having some of the most successful drivers in the industry as teammates and mentors can’t hurt either, especially when one of them is Jeff Gordon, whose office overlooks the Nos. 5 and 24 race shop. Gordon said he is looking forward to seeing what Elliott is capable of this season.
“I was sitting in my office … and I saw these cars down there with my name still on the door and I’m like, ‘I want to go down there and peel them off,’ because I can’t wait to see Chase Elliott’s name on those doors and see him driving these cars,” Gordon said. “I think he is going to do great.”
With veteran drivers such as Gordon moving on to new roles, a continually evolving sport like NASCAR relies on young talent climbing up through the series. As Elliott transitions from a successful NXS run to his rookie Cup season, teammate Jimmie Johnson said he is exactly what the sport is looking for.
“We’ve got a great future,” the driver of the No. 48 Chevy said. “There is a lot of great talent in the pipeline. NASCAR is in great hands. It’s going to be exciting to see what’s going to happen in the next two-to-four years.”