Las Vegas. It’s somehow crept its way into the conversation of why the past two seasons haven’t gone Chase Elliott’s way.

NASCAR’s Most Popular Driver may not have made it to the playoffs last season, but he sure did this time. However, after advancing to the Round of 8, a crash in the first race of the round – which was incidentally in Vegas – significantly dropped his points, effectively putting him too far behind the cutline to advance to the Championship 4. That was where he lost the opportunity to win another Cup title. But what happened in 2023?

Well, it happened at the beginning of the year. More specifically, before the third race of the 2023 Cup season in Las Vegas. Chase Elliott fractured his left leg in a snowboarding accident, as a result of which he missed six races, derailing the entirety of his campaign. He didn’t make the playoffs for the first time in his career (despite NASCAR giving him a waiver). That said, as the curtains fell on the 2024 Cup Series season, it looks like Elliott’s racing season isn’t done just yet.

Back in the day, drivers pretty much stuck to NASCAR racing with their teams every week. In fact, even before Chase Elliott’s snowboarding incident in 2023, Rick Hendrick had largely banned his drivers from engaging in extra-curricular activities outside of NASCAR. But that was until Kyle Larson came along and changed the dynamic. And his enthusiasm for different disciplines of racing seems to have spread across the drivers at Hendrick Motorsports.

Speaking to NASCAR, Elliott revealed that he is eyeing an opportunity to race in the Snowball Derby Super Late Model event, scheduled for December 8. “A potential possibility there, but we just haven’t 100% decided.” But again, the HMS star is known to detach himself completely from racing, which is why his participation at the Snowball Derby is TBD.

“The competitor in you is always wanting to think about what you could have done better or what different choice throughout the season could have bettered your results or whatever it may be,” he said. The 2020 Cup champion made a solid comeback this season after the disappointments of last year. However, Elliott not making the final 4 was indeed a bummer for his fans, given how consistent he was throughout the current season. He finished seventh in the driver’s standings after the conclusion of the championship race in Phoenix.

The No. 9 team certainly has work to do to work on their shortcomings for this year’s run, and the off-season provides them with the opportunity to do so. That said, Elliott added, “So yeah, I think naturally you’re going to think about racing, just because that’s what we do. But I certainly intend to just get away, take some time, recharge the batteries, just like everybody in the room here.” Now, this is indeed worrying for team owner Rick Hendrick, who has experienced his drivers risking the NASCAR season in the aftermath of their non-NASCAR racing shenanigans.

For the unversed, apart from Chase Elliott’s injury from 2023, his teammate Alex Bowman joined him, too. He decided to compete in the High Limits Racing mid-season in 2023 and suffered a fractured vertebra. This cost him crucial three weeks of NASCAR racing. Considering Rick Hendrick’s rules about extra-curricular activities, did you know that Elliott was fearful of calling his team owner after he injured his leg?

He opened up about it earlier this year, saying, “I’m like, ‘Alright, who do I call? How am I gonna go about this?’ I hadn’t got my X-rays back but I had a pretty good feeling I couldn’t walk… I was gonna miss the weekend… I was too scared to call Rick at this point.” But he found the courage to do it. “I called him, and I was like, ‘Hey man, I’m sorry to tell you this, and I know you don’t want to hear this, but I am currently in the ER out here in Colorado, and I think I messed my knee up really bad.’” Turns out, he had (almost) nothing to worry about.

“Believe it or not, I was shocked. [Rick] took every bit of it just awesome and he didn’t even care about the weekend. He was just more worried: what was the process, how bad was it, when was surgery gonna be, if I needed surgery, and if he could do anything to help, and how long were we looking,” Chase Elliott revealed.

Be that as it may, a repeat of such incidents isn’t something veteran owner Rick Hendrick would want to see. While Elliott is still unsure of his non-NASCAR racing antics, the same cannot be said for Kyle Larson. He has already made extensive plans and is going to keep himself busy with racing.

Kyle Larson is all set for the international tour

Kyle Larson is arguably the most talented race car driver competing in NASCAR. We can put him alongside the likes of Tony Stewart and Mario Andretti, who were versatile race car drivers. While the 2024 season had its ups and downs, the HMS driver will now focus on his sprint car and dirt car racing events to wrap up his racing season.

Joining Jason Pryde Motorsports, Larson will compete at the three-day event at Perth Motorplex from Dec 28-30. Although he has previously raced in New Zealand and Australia, a visit to Perth will be his first, and he’s very excited about this experience. “I’m really excited to see that side of Australia; I’ve never been to that side of the country. It will be a good time.” Larson was quoted saying this on Flo Racing.

But before he flies to the other part of the globe, Larson will be competing at the USAC Nationals midget races. The HMS driver has teamed up with Silva Motorsports and will compete in events spread across Merced Speedway, Bakersfield, and Ventura Raceway from November 26-30. However, his participation at the historic Chili Bowl Nationals in January 2025 is still not confirmed. What do you make of NASCAR drivers taking up other racing ventures outside the regular season? Tell us in the comment section below!