Even though he is the NASCAR driver with the largest and most loyal fan following, Chase Elliott still has his detractors and doubters. And they, apart from raising their fingers towards current issues, often point toward the fact that the Hendrick Motorsports‘ #9 driver had it easy, that he more or less inherited what he has.

That he is the golden boy.

But even though it is true that he comes from a privileged background, as Elliott himself admits, there’s also another aspect of getting where he is today, something he knew right from the start, something he followed with his heart, something that could prove why those that love him so much, love him in the first place.

Chase Elliott points to the differences between his and his father’s careers

In a recent appearance on the Lunch with Lindsay podcast, Elliott admitted he “stepped into a very fortunate situation” when it comes to his Cup Series career. He pointed towards the differences between his father Bill Elliott‘s upbringing and career and his own.

“They didn’t come from much, they were extremely hard working and they went to the racetrack and made it happen in a very unique and different way than the rest of the grain was going at the time, I think that was a very easy thing to latch onto,” he described.

“For me, that wasn’t the case. I came up and I definitely had some opportunities that I might not have had if I wasn’t Bill’s son.

“But at the same time, the most important thing to that process is having respect for the people that are there before you at each step of the way.” 

WATCH THIS STORY: “Points Don’t Matter Now” – Chase Elliott Acing His Only Championship Option at Martinsville Could Wield a $100,000 Boost to Charity

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Elliott on the crucial aspect of respecting the veterans

The Hendrick Motorsports driver claimed that as he was coming along, racing on short tracks, he started to respect the veterans who eventually end up shaping the kind of racecar driver he became.

This led to Eric Church asking him to name some of those guys he looked up to, to which Elliott said, “Bubba Pollard and Augie Grill were two extremely talented, I mean we can talk about the NASCAR people but these were like some of the first guys that …”

He recalled going down to Pensacola and how those drivers, the Late Model dirt drivers would wear him out. And even though Elliott admitted he got his “feelings hurt pretty quick,” he began to respect them the more he raced with them.

“Once I could keep up with them, because I had that respect level for how long they had been there and how bad they had whipped my a** for the past two years, you raced them with the type of respect that they deserve and I think because of that, those were two friendships that I carried forward to this day,” he described.

“I just think that respect factor … a lot of people were here way before you and whatever industry you’re trying to jump into and I think there’s something to be said about those men and women who kind of helped pave the way.”

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