Chase Elliott explains expectation for Chicago Street Race
It’s been a tumultuous season for Chase Elliott, but he’s gearing up for the highly anticipated Chicago Street Race this weekend.
Elliott has dealt with a myriad of obstacles throughout 2023, from a leg injury that kept him out most of the spring, to a suspension for an altercation with Denny Hamlin during the Coca-Cola 600. However, he’s put all that behind him, and found some great finishes over the last couple of weeks.
However, a victory in the Chicago Street Race wouldn’t just be iconic, but it’d lock the Hendrick wheelman into the NASCAR playoffs. Ahead of Raceday, Elliott explained what would make the event successful from multiple perspectives.
“I don’t know. That’s a good question,” Elliott responded, asked what the Chicago Street Race needs to be considered a successful event. “I think it depends on which hat you’re wearing. You know, if you’re wearing a competitors hat, for me, it’s us going up there and being in a position to win. From a fan standpoint, you know you’re tapping into a part of, a part of the country that I think has a lot of race fans. A lot of NASCAR fans. But into a city limits that a lot of those people may not typically come out to yet. Or somewhere up there, that typically hasn’t been the case. So for them, I think it’s about it being a good event, and it being exciting. There being a lot of stuff going on for them, and they feel like they’re at ‘the’ event. That means to feel like the event that weekend, over the Cubs game, or whatever it may be. So I think that would make it successful, from a promoter standpoint.
“You know, from the racing side, I don’t necessarily think, I don’t think I have to leave the racetrack and think, ‘Oh wow, that was a really great race,’ for it to be successful to the viewership, or to the people who show up in attendance.”
Per usual, Elliott will be one of the biggest attractions at the track this weekend, and many would love to see him end up in Victory Lane on Sunday. The funny thing is though nobody knows what to expect in this race, so it’s going to be up for grabs.
Time will tell, but it’s hard to bet against Chase Elliott any given week, and the Chicago Street Race will be no different.