NASCAR stars Johnson, Elliott off to fast starts
DAYTONA BEACH — Chase Elliott may be a NASCAR veteran and the reigning Cup Series champion, but he’s been a rookie for the past two weeks.
Earlier this month, the 25-year-old competed in his first Chili Bowl Nationals, finishing seventh in his Saturday Feature. Now Elliott is in Daytona, trying to figure his way around a sports car as he works toward his first Rolex 24 this Saturday.
So much for enjoying that elusive Cup championship.
“Everything’s been great,” Elliott said with a smile. “I just tried to enjoy everything as much as I could, and then I got really busy. I’ve just been enjoying broadening my horizons and trying new things.”
As hectic as the past three months have been for Elliott — he also competed in the Snowball Derby in December — it’s nothing compared to the “whirlwind” he’s experienced during this weekend’s Roar Before the Rolex 24.
NASCAR’s Most Popular Driver hopped behind the wheel of the No. 31 Whelen Engineering Cadillac DPi for the first time Friday, and spent much of the next four practice sessions taking notes.
“Obviously, my teammates are all very good at what they do,” Elliott said of co-drivers Felipe Nasr, Pipo Derani and Mike Conway. “From my end, I’m just trying to learn as fast as I can. It’s like trying to drink water through a fire hose.”
As painful as that may sound, Elliott admitted he’s enjoyed taking on a new challenge.
“Not that I have the NASCAR thing figured out, because I don’t, but it’s been more about doing something and finding something new,” he said. “I feel like I’m at an age where I’m still young and can learn new things.”
Jimmie Johnson is not be as young as his former Hendrick Motorsports teammate, but he’s certainly acting like it. The newly retired 45-year-old is back in Daytona for his eighth Rolex 24 and, like Elliott, didn’t exactly take it easy this offseason.
“This has been the busiest offseason I’ve ever had,’’ Johnson said after Saturday’s afternoon test session. “I was in an IndyCar immediately following the season finale for NASCAR. The IndyCar team and this prototype, there’s sim [sessions], seats to be fit for all three cars and learning crew members, teams, systems, meetings. It is by far the busiest winter.”
Johnson has seven Rolex 24 starts, with a pair of runner-up finishes in 2005 and 2008. Following the Rolex, Johnson will begin prep work ahead of the IndyCar season, when he’s scheduled to run a handful of races for Chip Ganassi.
“[My wife] Chandi and I joke all the time: here we thought I was slowing down and it’s been way busier than I’ve ever experienced,” he said with a laugh.
While Elliott and Johnson both work to get up to speed behind the wheel, their cars were plenty fast over the weekend. The No. 31 will start on the Rolex 24 pole after winning Sunday’s Motul Pole Award 100 (Elliott didn’t drive) while the No. 48 Cadillac will start sixth.
Despite the early speed, both drivers know there’s still a long way to go.
“Things have changed quite a bit since I first came down here for these test sessions,” said Johnson, who drove a pair of stints in Sunday’s qualifying race. “The biggest thing is the lack of track time. Before, we’d come down here and run for hours and hours. Now it’s far different.
“I’m out there having a ton of fun, but also trying to make each lap count.”