“Sort of a lucky feather in his cap that he was available”: When Dale Earnhardt Jr. was clear about Chase Elliott’s HMS debut ‘benefit’

Hendrick Motorsports' former driver Dale Earnhardt Jr. praised the team's decision to have their experienced crew chief Kenny guide Chase Elliott during his much-anticipated debut in the Cup Series in 2015. Elliott competed in the STP 500 on March 29, 2015, replacing four-time Cup Series champion Jeff Gordon. Despite being under pressure to replace a NASCAR legend, Elliott's transition to the Cup Series went smoothly.

Before making his debut in the Sprint Series, Elliott clinched back-to-back top-ten finishes in the past three Xfinity Series races. Considering his promising run, the team's general manager, Doug Duchardt decided to put him under the care of experienced crew chief Kenny Francis.

Later in the pits, NASCAR legend Dale Earnhardt Jr. claimed that Elliott had the potential to become successful and expressed his view on having Francis guide him through the race weekend:

"I think he will hit the ground running. I think working with Kenny Francis is going to be a huge benefit. I think Kenny is one of the sharpest guys, so that was sort of a lucky feather in his cap that Kenny was available for that because I think Kenny will do a good job transitioning him into those cars," Earnhardt said, via Hendrick Motorsports.

While team owner Rick Hendrick claimed that Elliot was being 'thrown into some tough races', the driver expressed belief, citing the team's record at the track.

Two years after Elliot's cup series debut, Dale Earnhardt Jr. urged NASCAR to market the Dawsonville native and other young, promising drivers like Ryan Blaney to keep the sport engaging.

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"They’re carrying the torch": When Dale Earnhardt Jr. suggested NASCAR to market 'good guys'

The two-time Xfinity Series driver Dale Earnhardt Jr. was featured in an interview with NASCAR analyst Jeff Gluck in 2017 and highlighted that storylines in the sports were not getting enough attention. Dale Jr. retired from the Cup Series in 2017 and won the NASCAR Most Popular Driver award for the past 14 seasons.

Earnhardt Jr. then suggested that the Stock Car Association promote the then-emerging stars, Chase Elliott and Ryan Blaney, to gain more attention. After debuting under the Hendrick Motorsports banner, Elliott made strides, finishing the 2017 season in fifth place. On the other hand, Blaney also finished the season in the top ten drivers on the points table.

While being on a roll and winning his 15th consecutive title, Dale Earnhardt Jr. said:

"I think there needs to be more effort to market Chase Elliott, Ryan Blaney, Bubba Wallace. They’re doing a great job with Daniel Suarez, but they need to really get these guys in front of not only the NASCAR fans, but more mainstream media (like) Rolling Stone.Those are great things for those guys, because they’re carrying the torch, man. And they have the personalities. They’re so funny, you know? And they’re good guys. They’re not brats."

Earnhardt Jr. concluded that these drivers have the potential to bring back the peak era of NASCAR racing and could attract a broader audience.