Chase Elliott‘s 2023 Cup Series season has certainly not gone according to plan, and the Hendrick Motorsports ace is in danger of missing out on the playoffs. A big part of that struggle can be attributed to Elliott missing six races at the start of the season after an injury in a snowboarding accident. One might think that after a long period of recovery, Elliott might have just one thing on his mind – qualifying for the playoffs. But the 2020 champion’s recent update throws that assumption out of the window.
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Elliott announced on Twitter that he will be running in the Slinger Nationals in July, following in the footsteps of other NASCAR greats like Kyle Busch, Mark Martin, and Dale Earnhardt. This news comes just a few weeks after Hall of Famer Matt Kenseth declared his intention to return to Slinger Speedway.
Chase Elliott follows Jeff Gordon’s action plan at Hendrick Motorsports
Recently, Hendrick Motorsports Vice Chairman Jeff Gordon came out in full support of Kyle Larson’s prospective run for next year’s Indy500, expressing that the organization fully backs drivers who intend to participate in extra-curricular activities, knowing the risks and rewards of their decisions. Yesterday, Larson’s teammate Chase Elliott announced on Twitter that he will run in the 44th edition of the Slinger Nationals on July 11th.
Headed your way Wisconsin! I’ll be running at @SlingerSpeedway on July 11th in the Slinger Nationals.@Fr8Auctions | @GoSunoco | @HendrickCars pic.twitter.com/o3MyAOylQr
— Chase Elliott (@chaseelliott) June 22, 2023
Interestingly, Elliott was supposed to race at the Nationals in 2016 but had to back out due to unforeseen sponsor commitments. The Georgia native’s Hendrick Motorsports teammate William Byron won the 2022 edition on his debut, something that can prove to be added motivation for Elliott.
NASCAR Hall of Famer Matt Kenseth joins Chase Elliott in participation
If there is ever a name that comes to mind for the Slinger Nationals, it is NASCAR Hall of Famer Matt Kenseth. The 2003 Cup Series champion is the all-time leader in the competition, with eight wins over his career, the last one coming in 2019.
Kenseth finished fifth last season and wants to return to the track to resume normal service, announcing his run for the 2023 edition last month. Raring to overcome the disappointment from last time around, he said, “Last year we didn’t perform as well as I’d like. So, I’m looking forward to going back and trying to redeem myself.”
So it’d be interesting to see how Elliott fares in the event and if he does well, would he be able to carry that momentum into his rather disappointing NASCAR season so far.
