Advice for Elliott: Try to enjoy the ride
20- year- old rookie being much too hard on himself
An open letter to Chase Elliott.
Dear Chase, Heyman, another great run Sunday at Michigan International Speedway. You led 31 laps, had a chance to win and ultimately finished second to help solidify your Chase for the Sprint Cup playoff spot.
And wow, what a season so far. Twelve top- 10 finishes and seven top- fives? It’s been pretty darn impressive for anyone, let alone a 20- year- old rookie. You’re racing against the most talented field of drivers in North America, and you’ve been beating many of them all year.
When compared to your predecessor in the No. 24 car, Jeff Gordon, you’re actually having a better season than he did in his final full- time campaign to this point. People knew you were good, but I’m not sure many expected you to be this good this soon. You should be proud.
The thing is, I’m not sure you are. Every time fans hear from you after a race, you seem miserable. If you have a fast car and don’t win, you say you’ve let down your team.
I know you’re not putting on any sort of false front; those feelings are real. You were asked after the race if you were frustrated or disappointed, and you said all of the above.
“I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t,” you said. “If I wasn’t, that would mean I didn’t care.”
I get that. You grew up the son of Hall of Fame driver and 1988 Cup champion Bill Elliott, you’ve proved you’re capable of winning ( you won three races en route to the 2014 Xfinity Series championship) and you race for Hendrick Motorsports, the best team in NASCAR over the years with 11 Cup titles. You think you should have won by now, and several times at that.
And, of course, there’s nothing wrong with being disappointed over a near- win.
But, dude, when you make a mistake during a race, it seems like you’re harder on yourself and apologize more than people who actually have something to be sorry about.
Retired driver Mark Martin tweeted Monday you were “way ( too) self- critical” and you were doing “amazing things behind the wheel.” He said you should give yourself a little credit.
Martin knows a lot more than I do, and if he says you shouldn’t beat yourself up so much, I think he’s on to something.
I totally understand you feel like a better restart at Michigan would have won the race, but to say you let your team down? No way. Compared to who? Certainly not the guy you replaced in the No. 24 car, whose lackluster restarts were the butt of jokes in his final years.
Chase, you are doing extraordinary things. People haven’t seen a rookie this consistently competitive since Denny Hamlin in 2006. You haven’t been letting your team down, you’ve been lifting it up during Hendrick Motorsports’ worst season in years.
Look, you’re 20. Some drivers are racing until their mid- 40s, so you have potentially 25 more years in this sport. By the time you’re done, you’re going to be a legend. An entire generation of fans will be used to seeing you in victory lane, and you’re going to win many, many times over the years — not just races but championships.
I’m not saying you need to lighten up, because that’s what makes you a competitor. You’re driven, and you’re a perfectionist.
But don’t forget to have fun along the way. I know you’re capable of having fun, because your social media posts about the Atlanta Braves, Eric Church and flying a plane make it look like there are a lot of things that make you happy in life. I hope racing makes you happy, too. I know you expect to win now, but don’t forget to enjoy the ride. Because if the overwhelming emotion you feel when you finally get to victory lane is relief, you will have robbed yourself of a joy few people in this world will ever get to experience.
Sincerely, Jeff Gluck