NASCAR CUP SERIES: CHAMPIONSHIP

November 6, 2021

Chase Elliott

Press Conference

An Interview with:

THE MODERATOR: We're going to get started here after NASCAR Cup Series qualifying. We are now joined by Chase Elliott.

We'll take questions for Chase.

Q. A rare practice, you've had time in the car, what do you think? How do you feel about the car?

CHASE ELLIOTT: Yeah, I feel like we were okay. I definitely feel like we need to be better, though, for tomorrow. We kind of chased some things through practice, kind of wound up back in a familiar place I feel like for the race, kind of where we've been in the past.

Yeah, we have ended our practice and qualifying in the position that we have the most confidence in for a good result tomorrow. We're going to live with that. We'll see where it takes us.

Q. Did you think you had the pole or did you think he maybe had something?

CHASE ELLIOTT: No, I really didn't think it would be second, to be honest with you. I didn't feel like I did a great job. Then obviously the longer you go there, it isn't a bad thing. Just in general I didn't think I hit my lap super good. I was really surprised it was even second.

Q. What can you take away from this qualifying session that will help you win the championship tomorrow?

CHASE ELLIOTT: Pit pick. That's about it.

Q. You said you're good, but you wanted to have a little bit more. How do you do that tonight? You guys keep things simple. How much time do you spend trying to game plan how to get better for Sunday?

CHASE ELLIOTT: Yeah, look, our preparation's done. We have put what we feel is going to give us the best result into our race car for tomorrow. We have prepared all week. I've prepared all week. As ready as I'm ever going to be. I think our team is, too. We're just ready to get the day rolling and do what we all came here to Phoenix to go do.

Q. You've been through this before last year. Now with your teammate Kyle Larson running for his first championship, has he came to you for any advice? Have you offered any advice on how to get through tomorrow?

CHASE ELLIOTT: No. I mean, Kyle's a veteran race car driver. He's been doing it a long time. He doesn't need my help or anybody else's. I think at this point you're either prepared or you're not, you'll either execute a good day or you don't, and you live with the results whichever end you land on.

Q. Having qualified as well as you did, is that more of a relief or excitement that you know you have something you can work with tomorrow?

CHASE ELLIOTT: Yeah, I mean, like I was saying, I didn't feel like I did a great job. I was surprised that it held on for second. From a pit pick perspective, which I think is probably the most important thing out of qualifying, it leaves us a bunch of good options.

We'll try to make a good decision on that. That's going to be the biggest thing that impacts our day tomorrow. We'll make sure we make the right choice picking in the second spot there. Try to go and put together a really solid race altogether.

I feel like we're very capable of doing that. I'm just ready to get going. We came to Arizona to run 300 some-odd laps, so let's roll.

Q. Mr. H and Alan both this week went out of their way to talk about how smart you are. Alan called you the smartest driver he's ever worked with. Is that in your genes? How did you get so -- I don't want to say smart, but how did you get to this part where they think -- Alan says you take things 10 layers deeper than any driver he's ever seen.

CHASE ELLIOTT: I feel like he's being nice. I feel like I'm pretty dumb and I'm not even wearing jeans. I don't know what to tell you.

I don't feel that way about myself. I try to do my job. Feel like I've always been surrounded by some very good people that make me look a lot better than I am behind the wheel. That's no different now than it's ever been.

THE MODERATOR: Chase, thanks for joining us.

CHASE ELLIOTT: Thank you. Have a good day.