“It’s not about benching or squatting the most“: When Chase Elliott opened up about NASCAR athlete’s proper shape

NASCAR: NASCAR All-Star Race - Source: Imagn
Chase Elliott during the 2024 NASCAR All-Star Race - Source: Imagn

Chase Elliott once shared his training program in preparation for NASCAR races. Elliott said that neither benching nor squatting with heavy weight was on his list. Instead, he worked on endurance training, particularly around his upper body.

Elliott is a 29-year-old professional stock car racer driving the No. 9 Chevrolet Camaro for Hendrick Motorsports. During this interview in 2018, he was running his third full-time season in the Cup Series, aged 23.

Speaking to GQ, the Dawsonville native was asked what kind of shape racing athletes have to be in.

"It’s not about benching or squatting the most, so if you lift, it's about endurance—a low-weight, high-rep regimen. You work your upper body pretty hard during a race, especially from your shoulders to your neck," Elliott replied.

He also pointed out racecar drivers needed to work on certain muscles to prevent soreness after races, saying:

"I never really know how to describe it, but there are certain muscles that we use that you just don’t use if you’re doing anything else. When I was younger and just starting to race, I had never worked these groups of muscles before. If you take a few weeks off and then run a race, you'll be sore."

During a race, drivers withstand high G-forces when braking and cornering. While NASCAR cars don't register as extreme G-forces as aerodynamically advanced F1 cars, stock car drivers still experience around two to three Gs per turn. That is twice or thrice their body weight.

In addition, the in-car temperature in NASCAR cars can reach up to 130 degrees Fahrenheit (54 degrees Celsius). As a result, drivers can lose about 10 lbs per race, lasting about three hours.

The 2018 Cup Series season witnessed Chase Elliott secure his first three career victories in Watkins Glen, Dover, and Kansas. It was also the year when his racing number changed from No. 24 after taking over Jeff Gordon's car to No. 9.

Today, the Hendrick Motorsports star has 19 Cup race wins to his name and a championship title, which he won in 2020.


Chase Elliott shares love for golf with Dale Earnhardt Jr.

Aside from working out, Chase Elliott stays active by playing golf. During an interview with Dale Earnhardt Jr. earlier this year, the No. 9 driver said he improved compared to when he started out back in his JR Motorsports days.

Elliott said on the Dale Jr. Download:

"I love playing golf [...] I've been semi-serious for five years and probably gotten pretty serious in the last year and a half. So enjoy it."

However, the 19-time Cup race winner believes he still has a lot to learn to become "good."

"I'm still not very good. But I do enjoy playing a lot."

Chase Elliott concluded by saying he would adjust his schedule to play golf if the weather was good, even if he had to work overtime later in the day.

For the 2025 season, the Chevy driver will return to Hendrick Motorsports for the tenth consecutive year. The season kicks off at the Daytona 500 for the "Great American Race" in February.

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Edited by Neelabhra Roy
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