mobile app bar

NASCAR Preview: Chase Elliott Squashes Concerns Over Sonoma Repave

Rahul Ahluwalia
Published

Mar 9, 2024; Avondale, Arizona, USA; NASCAR Cup Series driver Chase Elliott (9) during Cup Series qualifying at Phoenix Raceway. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports

Hendrick Motorsports driver Chase Elliott recently gave his views on what Sonoma Raceway has in store for fans after Friday’s practice session at the 2.5-mile-long facility. The seven-time road course winner has never visited victory lane in wine country and will be looking to add Sonoma to his wins tally this weekend.

The #9 driver spoke about his worries surrounding the quality of the recent repave at Sonoma and how the same has been nullified. “I had a lot of concerns coming here. I had some friends that do some other road racing stuff and they said how bad it was coming apart. That was concerning because our cars are way heavier.”

He added to how initial impressions seemed fine of the quality of the tarmac laid down and said, “I didn’t see anything visually on the track and I’m sure they’ll inspect it later. I didn’t feel anything at all. After today I feel a lot better about it.”

It remains to be seen how the new tarmac at the track reacts to a full field of Next Gen Cup cars running on the repaved surface for 110 laps on end.

Chase Elliott elaborates on the implications of Sonoma repave on lap time & tire falloff

One of the biggest talking points in NASCAR has been tire falloff and how it is essential to create a good racing product. Elliott elaborated on how a repave usually stalls tire falloff on the track and what he felt during Friday’s practice session.

“There actually is but it’s heat related, it’s obviously not wear related. This is the way it feels inside the car, so I definitely think you’re going to be able to hurt it with heat.”

The 2020 NASCAR Cup Series champion also opined on how turn 11 has seen a major change with the inside tire wall being replaced by a solid wall to better enforce track limits at the track. He touched on the same and said, “It’s fine. I don’t really have any issues with it. You don’t want to hit the tire barriers, you also don’t want to hit the wall.”

It remains to be seen whether Chase Elliott can add Sonoma Raceway to his roster of wins at every road course venue that NASCAR visits, including races at tracks such as Road America which no longer feature on the calendar.

About the author

Rahul Ahluwalia

Rahul Ahluwalia

x-iconlinkedin-icon

Rahul Ahluwalia is a NASCAR Content Strategist and Journalist at The SportsRush. Hailing from a Journalism and Mass Communication background, Rahul's love for automobiles transformed into his passion for all things racing. With over 1200+ articles under his belt covering a mixture of NASCAR and F1, he has realized his calling in the world of motorsports with actual first hand experience behind the wheel to back it up. He has competed in several autocross events as well as rallycross-style competitions to hone his skills behind the wheel and better understand the mindset of a racecar driver, allowing him to further improve his writing as well. He also has an editorial background with respect to racing and has eye for stories which otherwise go unnoticed. Rahul is also an avid sim racer indulging in various disciplines such as rallying and oval racing during his free time. Having begun his motorsports journey at the start of 2020, he turned his passion into his work allowing him to delve deeper into the ever evolving and world of cars and motorsports. Apart from racing, Rahul also has sound technical knowledge of the automotive industry and automobiles in general. Having grown up playing video games such as Need for Speed, Forza Motorsport and Gran Turismo, it is easy to see where the love for racing and machines inculcated in the first place.

Share this article