“I Prioritize What Matters”: Chase Elliott Opens Up On The Importance Of Saying No On & Off The Track

At 28 years of age, Chase Elliott has already reached the pinnacle of fame in NASCAR. He is a much-loved favorite who the fans would want to see win every single weekend if that were possible. He backs all this support with the stupendous performance he puts up on the race track. Already a Cup Series champion, he is steadily cruising ahead towards the status of a generational legend.

One can easily be blinded by the distractions in the level at which Elliott is playing the game right now. How he tackles this is by mastering the art of saying ‘no.’ He spoke about it in a recent interview with The Athletic and noted how a driver can get pulled in multiple directions away from the core concept of racing. This is why he regularly reminds himself what his purpose is.

“The more you get pulled in different directions, the more you lose sight of the whole reason we’re here,” he said. “Which is to race and be competitive and try to work on our craft and be the best race car driver you can be.” When Elliott decided to follow his father, the iconic Bill Elliott, into racing, he wasn’t inspired by money or popularity but by his passion for speed. He doesn’t ever want to lose sight of that.

He continued, “I love the amount of discipline it takes to be at the top of this garage. That is the most important thing in my view.” Focusing solely on racing when you are a multiple-time Most Popular Driver Award winner can be quite the task. But Elliott can do that thanks to his clarity of purpose. “I’m going to make sure I prioritize what matters,” he added.

Elliott imparts a piece of wisdom about close relationships

Saying ‘no’ is not something that everybody can do with ease. What the Hendrick Motorsports star believes will help with this is to surround oneself with people who care. He explained, “If saying no to something because you think it’s taking away from something that’s a priority in your life and that makes someone mad — it’s like, “Do I really want that person? Do I need their approval anyway?”

Not having everyone agree with a decision that he makes is something Elliott has become comfortable with. Regardless of whether it is the right or wrong one. But he does stand behind the idea of trusting the opinion that comes from a tight, small, and close-knit circle. The people in this particular group are the only ones that he or anyone should care about, he concluded.