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WATCH: Chase Elliott’s Celebrations Cut Short After Receiving a Penalty at Nitro Rallycross

Published 12/05/2021, 3:19 AM EST

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As NASCAR Cup Series driver Chase Elliott continues to push himself out of his comfort zone, the recent pit-stop in his season was Nitro Rally Cross. He became the second NASCAR driver in as many months to set foot in rally circuits. But, while Kyle Busch secured a fourth-place finish in his first NRX race, Chase Elliott was penalized in a cruel fashion.

The Hendrick driver’s pass in the final corner on driver Tanner Foust was deemed illegal. As a result, Foust advanced to the next round.

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The NASCAR driver was clearly excited about his experience with NRX heading into it. He posted on his Twitter, “My first attempt of purposely having all 4 tires off the ground… little deep but better than the alternative.”

But soon, he realized the ‘steep learning curve’ ahead of him.

Elliott admitted he has experienced nothing like a rally car from an operational and technical perspective. In an interview after the practice, he said, “The learning curve is steep. I’ve never driven an all-wheel driver race car like this before.”

What are the differences between the NRX cars and NASCAR cars according to Chase Elliott?

The NASCAR driver emphasized that having a car with a front-wheel drive and a handbrake is quite different from what he’s used to. Elliott also pointed out the differences between steering a NASCAR car and an NRX car.

He said, “When you drive it like something I’ve always driven, it drives like a very large tide of understeer in the car. So, kind of pointing where you need to go is really weird.”

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“Typically, anytime I get out of shape, or the car gets at an angle, you’re always backsteering. Whereas in this car, a lot of times you might be sideways, but you’re actually still turning towards the turn or turning the correct way where normally you’d turn the opposite way.”

But Chase Elliott is happy with the experience, as he looks forward to Sunday’s race.

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“Regardless, lot of fun and excited for tomorrow’s race,” he said after his penalty.

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Written by:

Shaharyar

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Shaharyar is a Formula 1 & NASCAR writer at EssentiallySports. A graduate in Journalism from Amity University, he has been a passionate follower of motorsports for better part of the decade. A Max Verstappen and Ferrari supporter, he dreams of a pairing of the two in future.
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