CONCORD, N.C. – The 2020 NASCAR Cup Series champion is keeping busy during the off-season.
Chase Elliott finished third in the annual Snowball Derby event on Dec. 6 and recently announced he’ll compete in the 2021 Chili Bowl for the first time beginning on Jan. 11 at Tulsa Expo Raceway.
Now, he adds his name to Action Express Racing’s roster for the annual Rolex 24 at DAYTONA.
The Dawsonville, Georgia, native will join Felipe Nasr, Pipo Derani and Mike Conway in the No. 31 Whelen Engineering Cadillac DPi-V.R to run the 3.56-mile road course during a prestigious 24-hour race.
“The Rolex 24 is such a major event, and it’s a race that anybody across any type of motor sports really respects,” Elliott said. “I think everyone wants to win a watch before their career is over. It’s something different and a completely different element of racing that I haven’t really tried before. I’m trying to branch out and be more diverse as a driver and this is another part of that experience. I appreciate Action Express giving me this opportunity, and I am looking forward to learning and running my first Rolex 24 next month.”
Gary Nelson, Action Express Racing’s team manager, said the team has been impressed with the defending NASCAR champion.
“Recently we were able to spend a day with Chase in the simulator, running the Dallara, Cadillac model on the Daytona road course,” Nelson said. “We were amazed at how quick Chase got up to speed, his feedback, and how easy he was to work with. We are very excited to work with him again next month in Daytona at the Roar and the Rolex 24.”
Despite this being Elliott’s first time running the twice-around-the-clock classic, he’s no stranger to road-course racing. The 25-year-old driver has already won five career NASCAR Cup Series road course races for Hendrick Motorsports, including Watkins Glen International in 2018 and 2019, the Charlotte ROVAL in 2019 and 2020 and the DAYTONA Road Course in 2020.
Elliott and seven-time champion Jimmie Johnson will help kick off the 2021 IMSA season with the traditional Roar Before the 24 at Daytona International Speedway Jan. 22-24 with the Rolex 24 at DAYTONA taking place the following weekend, Jan. 29-31.