"I don’t know that I’ve ever had that much peer pressure": When Chase Elliott got a crowd-driven burnout moment

Back in 2021, Chase Elliott won the Jockey Made in America 250 Cup Series race held at Road America in Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin. After he crossed the Checkered Flag, he tried a burnout. Not once, but twice. Speaking about it later, Elliott revealed that he tried the burnout the second time out of peer pressure.

The Hendrick Motorsports driver won the 62-lap road course race held on the 4.048-mile track. It was the 20th Cup Series race of the 2021 season and Elliott's 13th Cup Series victory. It was also the #9 driver's second and final win of the season.

As Elliott triumphed in Wisconsin, he arrived near the pit road for an interview. There he was cheered by the crowd that stood behind him, and they loudly encouraged the HMS driver to go for another burnout. Elliot, NASCAR's defending Most Popular Driver, listened to the crowd and tried the burnout the second time.

Speaking about this in an interview with NBC Sports, Elliott shared how he was taken aback by the support he received at Wisconsin. Here's what he said in detail:

“I haven’t spent any time in Wisconsin, so I’m not sure why they were so loud,” Elliott said. “It was super cool. Man, they were fired up. The amount of peer pressure I felt to do a burnout was, like, wow. I don’t know that I’ve ever had that much peer pressure in my life to do a burnout.”

“I knew it was going to happen,” Elliott said. “NASCAR was yelling at me to make sure I went around the whole track. I did a burnout in the frontstretch. I was out of tire. I knew they were going to blow out. I got down there in the interview, literally that place was packed. All these people are chanting ‘burnout’ at me. I wasn’t going to say no. So I did. Blew the back tires off of it, then ran out of gas, had to have a push.”

The victory at Road America was a spectacular one for Chase Elliott. The #9 driver started his race from 34th place. He improved to 10th place in Stage 1 and finally snatched the victory ahead of Christopher Bell, and Kyle Busch.

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Chase Elliott made his feelings known after Jockey Made in America 250 victory

Following a remarkable comeback in the Jockey Made in America 250 race at Road America in Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin, Chase Elliott shared his feelings. He said how he did not find rhythm in the qualifying, but on Sunday, it was a different story.

NASCAR Cup Series driver Chase Elliott (9) reacts after winning the Jockey Made in America 250 - Source: Imagn

Here's what he said (as quoted by USA Today):

"I never felt like I got in a real good rhythm all of yesterday," Elliott said. "For whatever reason there, after about halfway through the race, I started finding some of that rhythm, was able to put it together, piece different parts of the track. Finally I felt like I was able to piece most of it together."

Chase Elliott was the defending champion that year after winning his one and only Cup Series championship in 2020. However, in 2021, he finished the season in fourth place. His teammate Kyle Larson claimed the title, ahead of Martin Truex Jr. and Denny Hamlin.