American Racing News Vol 1, Issue 2 Issue 6 | Page 4

Is Chase Elliot Too Hard On Himself?
I’ve been seeing a lot of discussion
about Chase Elliott’s post race interview at Michigan. It seems like
everyone thinks that he is too hard
on himself.
The people who have publicly
voiced their opinions are quick to
point out that Chase has more
than met the expectations of a
rookie. These people correctly
point out that his results have
been impressive. The well wishers
remind the everyone that this is
perhaps the toughest competition
in the world, and his performance
is good for a rookie. Why are people so quick to allow a future
champion to settle with second?
I too, am impressed with Chase’s
talent. I admit that I thought he
should have been the same number 25 that he ran last year, so he
wouldn’t have the pressure of filling Jeff Gordon’s shoes.

Chase is in, either the easiest seat
in NASCAR or the hardest, depending how you look at it.
He has it easy, because his equipment is the best. His team is a
championship caliber team. His
surrounding support staff takes
care of all the things that would
distract a less fortunate driver. All
Chase has to do is drive.

The difference
between Being a
Champion and
Being an “Also-Ran”
is critical self
evaluation and
improvement.

As impressive as his natural born
abilities behind the wheel are, his
post race interviews are the true
mark of a champion.

This is a two edged sword though.
Because he has the best, he has no
excuses. Everything he needs to
win is there. If he fails, it will be
seen as his failure, not the team’s.

When others would celebrate a
second place finish, he was analyzing what he could have done better.
When others point out what the
competition did or didn’t do,
Chase focuses on the mistakes that
he made. This is the sign of a
champion. This is what will possibly make him a legend some day.

Just look at Kyle Larson. The fans’
opinion for his lack of a victory
(until now) was that the team just
wasn’t good enough. Fans see
Kyle as a winner, and are quick to
give Larson a pass for any lack of
results. Now, while Kyle may not
ask for an excuse, he sure does
benefit from it.

The thing I like about Chase is he
doesn’t waste time patting himself
on the back for the things he already knows how to do right. You
don’t hear him talk about how he
found a fast line or how good the
car felt.
Elliott goes directly to what he
should do better next time. Instead of celebrating the things that
got him to second, he looks to
eliminate the things that kept him
out of victory lane. Before you
think of telling Chase to take it
easier on himself, STOP! Leave
him alone. Instead watch, listen,
and learn from this young man.
Parents should make their children
watch Chase. It is not often we get
to see excellence like this.
Drivers, was there a corner you
could have taken a little faster?
Did you lift a half a second earlier
than you should have?
Crew members, did you tighten
every lug nut? Is the air pressure
perfect in every tire?
All of us can learn from Chase.
Each one of us can make improvements in nearly everything we do.
The difference between being a
Champion and being an “Also-Ran”
is critical self evaluation and improvement.