Chase Elliott Reveals the Reality Behind NASCAR Drivers Losing the "Thrill Factor" on Track Over Time

The world watches in awe as drivers in the NASCAR Cup Series speed around ovals at speeds greater than 200 miles per hour. Pushing a car to such speeds is the biggest dream that an enthusiast can have. It is fun, dangerous, and delivers a strong shot of adrenaline. But what if someone said that even the professionals, who race for a living, lose the thrill of speed over time?

Chase Elliott explained in a recent conversation on the MeatEater Podcast Network that drivers with experience aren’t always extremely excited about blind, raw speed. They all cross that initial stage of infatuation and move on to become more mature individuals who focus on the little things that make the car better.

Elliott said, “I can say there’s really no thrill anymore about going at 200 miles per hour… The thrill factor of it goes away after a time and you start focusing on the small fine details of how can I push the car little further. It becomes so much more competition-based.” The mindset that the best drivers on the field have does not take joy in the idea of going fast.

That, Elliott believes, is the difference between what makes a driver good or great. “The details that can make someone great versus someone that’s good are the most minuscule things that you could ever… I can’t even hardly sit here and describe them to you because a lot of it’s just tiny little feel things in the car,” he continued.

Drivers need to get past speed and process the little things right to juice the maximum out of their machines. For someone of Elliott’s caliber and experience, this is second nature.

Chase Elliott wins the Cup Series race in Atlanta

The Hendrick Motorsports icon broke a 44-race winless streak in front of a packed home crowd at the EchoPark Speedway in Atlanta on Saturday night. It was Elliott’s first win of the season and has secured him a spot in the playoffs. He survived an action-packed race that ended with a dramatic last-lap pass over Brad Keselowski.

Elliott took the lead with a huge inside pass on the entry into Turn 1. His teammate, Alex Bowman, then made sure that Keselowski couldn’t fight back and helped Elliott reach Victory Lane. “What a crazy race,” he told the press. Keselowski came home in second place and Bowman finished third. Tyler Reddick finished fourth and Erik Jones rounded off the top-five.

Post Edited By: Abhishek Ramesh

Atlanta Motor Speedway Chase Elliott

About the author

Gowtham Ramalingam

Gowtham is a NASCAR journalist at The SportsRush. Though his affinity for racing stems from Formula 1, he found himself drawn to NASCAR's unparalleled excitement over the years. As a result he has shared his insights and observations by authoring over 3000 articles on the sport. An avid fiction writer, you can find him lost in imaginary worlds when he is not immersed in racing. He hopes to continue savoring the thrill of every lap and race together with his readers for as long as he can.

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Chase Elliott Reveals the Reality Behind NASCAR Drivers Losing the “Thrill Factor” on Track Over Time

Chase Elliott wins the Cup Series race in Atlanta