NASCAR: Chase Elliott’s Season Relies On Response To Pressure
By Cole Mentzel
Chase Elliott is one of NASCAR’s most hyped rookies, but his season will depend on how he handles the pressure.
Back in January of 2015, it was announced that Chase Elliott would take over for now-retired Jeff Gordon in Hendrick Motorsports’ No. 24 machine. With the Daytona 500 rapidly approaching, some of Elliott’s newest paint schemes from sponsors including NAPA and 3M have released. The dream is starting to become a reality for him and his fans as he continues to prepare for his rookie season in the Sprint Cup Series after two great seasons in NASCAR’s Xfinity Series.
Though no one can predict how Elliott will do in his first season, there is no denying that he will be facing pressure from many different areas. The question is this: How will he respond to all of that as a 20-year-old?
First of all, he’s obviously going to be facing tons of pressure from Jeff Gordon’s fans. For the past 23 years, fans of the No. 24 car have been used to seeing Gordon rack up many accomplishments. Whether he was winning championships, breaking records, or making appearances on television, Gordon was one of the biggest stars the sport has ever seen.
It’s unlikely that Chase Elliott will win multiple races or make a deep run into the Chase, since it’s his first season. That might not go down well with some fans, just because of the magnified spotlight on the previous man in the driver’s seat. There’s going to be constant comparisons to Elliott and Gordon throughout certain points in their career and that’s not fair for Elliott, since driver’s like Gordon are rare in the racing world.
Another comparison Elliott will have to deal with is his dad, Bill Elliott, who won 44 races and a championship during his best racing years spanning from the early-1980’s to the mid-1990’s. Also, he was able to capture 16-straight “Most Popular Driver” awards because of his appeal to the fans and his great driving. With all of that, and the fact that Chase is Bill’s son, people will obviously be on the lookout for everything similar and different between the two.
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Elliott will also be joining arguably NASCAR’s most prestigious team in Hendrick Motorsports. With drivers like Jimmie Johnson, Jeff Gordon, Terry Labonte and Darrell Waltrip, there is lots of history, not to mention the constant spotlight that is on the team with it’s current slate of drivers. Their success every season is undeniable and fans will expect Elliott to be in that class.
Many of the challenges that are coming Elliott’s way are unfortunate. It will be an expectation for him to be a part of something or like someone else when, in fact, Elliott might be a completely different driver than we think. He might be better at tracks that his dad and Gordon were not as good at. He might operate in a different way than others did and that’s all a part of making of name for himself.
To sum all of this up, Elliott is going to be facing pressure from multiple outlets. Whether it’s pressure on him due to the history of his car, his team, or past drivers, it’s going to be evident all season long. How Elliott handles all of this will determine the result of his rookie season.
If he responds with a solid season or appears to be handling the pressure well then, obviously, his career will build from there. However, if he crumbles and has trouble putting things together, it could lead to some issues getting a head start in the Sprint Cup Series.
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Throughout all of this, it will be interesting to watch an enticing driver compete at the highest level and with some of the best in the world at what they do. Pressure is a popular subject in sports for new athletes coming into a big event, and that’s what will define Chase Elliott’s 2016 season in NASCAR.