ATLANTA — On the eve of the Daytona 500, Chase Elliott was more than ready to put a frustrating 2023 season in the rearview mirror.
After all, the Dawsonville native failed to win a race, missed six weeks after breaking his leg in a snowboarding accident, and did not make the 10-race playoffs. But he also understood that just changing the date was no guarantee of, well, anything.
“There is a sense of a new opportunity, and I’m appreciative of that,” Elliott said before the Daytona 500. “There’s also a realistic understanding that your problems don’t disappear because of the calendar changes from ’23 to ’24.”
However, if last week’s run at Daytona to open the 2024 season is any indication, Elliott could be primed for an even better showing this week in the Ambetter Health 400 at his home track of Atlanta Motor Speedway. He ran among the leaders for long stretches before eventually finishing 14th at Daytona but with a stage win. That puts him fourth in the NASCAR points standings after the first race of the season.
And he feels the recent changes to AMS over the last few years is making the 1 1/2-mile oval ready to start showing what its true personality will be.
“We’ve had two years of what it is now. I do think it’s going to age a bit at some point,” he said. “It’s hot summers and can be kind of cold in the winter, so that’s typically tough on a track surface. I think the track aging is a good thing, and we’ll just see what happens when it does.”
The changes also mean that most drivers have had to change their strategy in navigating the 400 miles. So far, he’s a fan of the new configuration.
“The old track had a lot of character, and it was a lot of fun from a driver’s perspective. But I think it was time for a change,” he said. “They wanted to try something else, and I applaud them for trying it. It’s got a new look.
“It’s produced some pretty good racing. People that have gone down there that I’ve talked to personally, spectators really enjoy it, and they really enjoy the drafting aspect of Atlanta.”
Elliott also knows that one solid season-opening race does not make a season. He said continued progression is the goal coming off last season.
“We know that we need to be better, and I need to be better and intend on continuing to build on what we were working on at the end of last year, and just keep our heads down and keep pushing,” he said.
