Chase Elliott Anticipates a Stiff Challenge at the Daytona Road Course

Chase Elliott has shown that he is often right at home on road courses. To be precise, he seized victory in the last two road course events, thus adding to a handful of wins on oval tracks.

Now, he will be rubbing his hands in anticipation, as the Cup Series paddock heads to Daytona. This is because all the cars are set to use the speedway’s road course layout in Sunday’s Go Bowling 235 race.

The 3.57-mile course has witnessed some action, especially during the Rolex 24 hours race. In this endurance race, a number of NASCAR stars have piloted sports cars, with Kyle Busch as one of them.

This is why Chase Elliott believes that Busch has an advantage over the others, in terms of tackling the circuit.

Speaking in a video conference, Elliott said, “I think this weekend’s going to be a big-time challenge for everyone. I think the one guy that I look at that really has a leg up is Kyle, having come off that 24-hour event this year.

“Heck, I think if we all knew that we were going to be doing this road course, you probably would have seen all of us trying to get in that 24-hour race this year to go and do it. You never know with things like that.”

Chase Elliott knows that the Daytona race will be tough

Admittedly, NASCAR roped in the Daytona Road Course late onto the calendar, due to the COVID-19 pandemic. To further complicate matters, drivers have to race without practice or qualifying and rely on simulators or prior experience.

Simulators do help to an extent, but Chase Elliott knows that nothing can top the real deal. Meanwhile, championship leader Kevin Harvick is eager to hunt for his third consecutive Cup Series victory.

In fact, his experience in the Rolex 24 will go a long way in bolstering his claim to the top spot.

However, he also acknowledged that the Daytona road course is a massive wildcard. He admitted that the last time he raced there was in 2002, but he never completed the race.

In terms of preparation, he usually likes to do it a week in advance, so that he can familiarize himself with the track. Furthermore, he has watched a number of races there and committed the layout to his memory.

However, the challenge lies in knowing where the cars need to be when racing.