Chase Elliott unmasks the Darlington factor that ‘defines’ NASCAR in his eyes

As NASCAR prepares for its upcoming race at Darlington Raceway, Chase Elliott shared his views on the nature of racing at the 1.366-mile, egg-shaped oval track. According to the Hendrick Motorsports ace, Darlington is what NASCAR should be, even though it is difficult to tackle.

Darlington Raceway is known as the track “Too Tough to Tame” for a reason. It’s one of NASCAR’s crown jewels witnessing legendary finishes since its inaugural season of racing in 1950. However, the unusually narrow layout makes racing extremely challenging here.

Reflecting on that, Chase Elliott said in a statement (via Speedway Digest),

"To me, Darlington really kind of defines what you would think NASCAR is and should be in my eyes. I think from a driver's perspective, it's so difficult. It's just such a tough place to navigate and drive, particularly for the fall race, being another 100 miles.”

Throughout his career in the NASCAR Cup Series, Elliott has been quite strong at Darlington Raceway. In 16 previous starts, the Dawsonville native owns four top fives and three top 10s, with his average finish being 16.3.

“I've always enjoyed going there. I hope one day, it enjoys having me more than it has ... hopefully we can make a good gain (this) weekend. We've put a lot of work into it already,” he added.

Elliott is currently vying for his first win of the season, which will corkscrew him into the playoffs alongside teammates William Byron and Kyle Larson. As of today, he sits third in the driver standings with 227 points to his name. Byron tops the list with 259 points, whereas Larson trails him with 243 points.

Fans can watch the drivers race it out this coming Sunday, April 6. Named Goodyear 400, the 293-lap event will be televised on Fox Sports 1 with live radio updates on MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio from 3 pm ET onwards.

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Chase Elliott announces meet-and-greet session ahead of Darlington weekend

Chase Elliott will be waiting to meet his fans at his merch hauler this coming Sunday from 11:35 to 12:05 pm. On that note, he took to X (formerly known as Twitter) and dropped an update.

“Darlington! Autograph session at my merch hauler this Sunday at 11:35-12:05pm. See y’all there!” he wrote.

Chase Elliott is currently one of the most sought-after drivers in the series. Last year, he was named NASCAR's Most Popular Driver by the National Motorsports Press Association (NMPA) for the seventh consecutive season.

“That award is a reflection of the entire (Elliott) story, not just about me,” Chase Elliott said in a statement (quoted by Yahoo Sports). “I’ve tried to pay my respect that way.”

Elliott’s father, the legendary Bill Elliott, bagged the honor a record 16 times. On the other hand, NASCAR Hall of Famer Dale Earnhardt Jr. won the title 15 times throughout his racing career. Some other drivers to have won the coveted title are Lee Petty, Richard Petty, Cale Yarborough, Bobby Allison, David Pearson, and Dale Earnhardt Sr.