CONCORD, N.C. -- Chase Elliott took home his first victory of the season at Charlotte Motor Speedway late Thursday night, which also marked his first win at the 1.5-mile oval.
The driver of the No. 9 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 1LE is thrilled with the seventh win of his career but he doesn't want to get too comfortable with the quick turnaround to Bristol.
"We're still very early in the year, and I challenge all of the people at (Hendrick Motorsports), myself, the road crew, the pit crews to stay hungry because the season is very long, a lot of racing left, and we just need to keep pushing," Elliott said. "No reason to get content right now."
Ever since NASCAR returned after a two-month break, Elliott has been a force on the track. In the four races since the hiatus, he has finished fourth or better three times.
However, Elliott said coming back to the track seems more like a continuation from the beginning of the season, and the drivers who were doing well before the break are still the top performers.
"I'm really curious to see how these next two weeks progress because people are going to get better, and I think some of the things they've been trying and working on they're actually going to have time to implement to their cars," he said. "We have to stay hungry and stay after it."
Elliott said he is going to rest Friday and Saturday in preparation for the 500-lap event at Bristol on Sunday. That race will be the fifth for the field in a two-week span.
Even though Thursday's win and the Bristol race are just three days apart, Elliott doesn't think the momentum is something to use in preparation.
"I don't really know that it matters," he said. "I'm just excited that we've been performing well, and ultimately I want to just have a shot to win each and every week. That's our goal as a team. Whether we do or not is one thing, but to just have a chance to be in position is the goal, so we need to stay after that goal."