In the 2023 NASCAR season, the Hendrick Motorsports team has endured a bit of a nightmare. Despite seven wins for Kyle Larson and William Byron, overall, the team has struggled. It didn’t help matters that the HMS drivers engaged in extra-curricular activities during the season. To make matters worse, Chase Elliott and Alex Bowman picked up injuries that put them out of action for six and three races, respectively.

Naturally, this would have been very worrying for team owner Rick Hendrick. However, it seems that, unlike Joe Gibbs, he is still allowing his drivers to pursue their non-NASCAR commitments. Larson is well-known for juggling his NASCAR duties with other racing activities. On the outside, this does look hectic, having to travel a lot more than his rivals, but he somehow makes it work. Now, it has come to pass that Elliott will be following in his teammate’s tire marks.

Chase Elliott is excited for the race at the Berlin Raceway

Elliott will be competing in a non-NASCAR race for the first time since his injury. Granted, it is a bit of a risk, considering what happened to him on March 3rd. It is an even bigger risk for Mr. H, who had to find a substitute for the #48 car after Bowman broke his T3 vertebrae in a High Limit Sprint Car Series event at 34 Raceway in West Burlington, Iowa, in May. But evidently, Rick Hendrick trusts Elliott enough to not injure himself again.

Talking about his plans to race outside of the Cup Series in a pre-race presser at the Michigan International Speedway, Elliott mentioned, “Yeah, I have run more this year than I have in the past. I don’t know how many years. So, I am looking forward to it. We have been working at it much like the Cup side, just trying to get a little better and trying to get some momentum on that side of things too.

“So, I am looking forward to going to Berlin, it’s been a little while since I have been there. I am looking forward to getting back to a really unique and weird short track I have run at a few times.”

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Now, Elliott will likely not try and replicate Larson’s crazy schedule, but he will compete whenever he is able to. Emphasizing the need to compete in such non-NASCAR races, Elliott sounded quite convincing. In fact, he even tried to justify his decision by talking about the USPs of the upcoming event in Berlin. It is a source of good money, after all, and Elliott realizes that “it doesn’t happen all the time.”

Motivation, money, and more: Chase Elliott’s take on racing outside NASCAR

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Chase Elliott continued to underscore the importance of racing in Berlin. He said, “But looking forward to getting up there, it’s a good show, a good mid-week show and a place that seemingly has a lot of support from the local community that I remember. Always great crowds and they put up a nice purse too, which in the asphalt world is a big deal in my opinion.

“So, I think it’s important for the racers to go and support those shows that put up a lot of money to win, when they do, because it doesn’t happen all the time. I am excited to go and support it and try to get a win,” Elliott stated. 

“A lot of money” meaning $30,000 to be precise. Though his outing in Michigan was a disaster as he crashed out of the race on Lap 34 because of a problem with the right rear tire of his Chevrolet, he still has three more chances of making it into the playoffs. Interestingly, two of those races are on road courses, where he is more likely to find success. As for motivation, let’s hope that a successful outing in Berlin will help him get that.

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