“If I don’t feel like I’m challenging my brain in some way shape or form, I feel like I’m just wasting away.” While most would choose a simpler hobby to stimulate the mind, Chase Elliott isn’t most people. For him flying a plane is more than just a way of transportation. Given his father’s affinity for flying and his own journey with it, having a personal jet was a must. However, having listed his jet on the market a little while ago, fans knew something was up. And with Elliott’s presence at the Super Bowl, things have cleared up.

Aviate Alabama, born out of the planespotting adventures of Brian Harmon’s son, recently tracked down the seven-time Most Popular Driver. We at Essentially Sports got the nugget from AA, and could not be more eager to share an interesting update with you Elliott fans.

Chase Elliott makes a major upgrade

The Super Bowl LIX ended last Sunday with much pomp and circumstance. The Philadelphia Eagles defeated the Kansas City Chiefs in a 40-22 game while Kendrick Lamar spiced up his ongoing conflict with Drake. On the NASCAR side, the Super Bowl dropped a special mention of Chase Elliott. In fact, the HMS star’s prediction for the Eagles also turned into reality. After celebrating the big victory, Elliott left Caesar’s Superdome in New Orleans in style. What caught our attention was his brand-new ride, which he flew to Mississippi.

According to Aviate Alabama, Chase Elliott has replaced his aging 2006 Cessna Citation 525B. He listed it for sale earlier this year. A 2013 Cessna Citation 525B has now taken its place, acquired from Southern Pipe & Supply, a business located in Meridian, Mississippi. That’s not all. Brian, from Aviate Alabama, revealed to Essentially Sports Elliott’s change in-flight crew. Instead of flying solo, Elliott now has someone alongside him in the cockpit. Brian revealed, “Yea so he flew down there Friday and left super late after the game Sunday night. He had one co-pilot with him so it appears he will no longer be solo piloting it. He also had just returned from Flight Safety International in Orlando to get type-rated in the plane.”

Why did Elliott get type-rated you ask? Well, his new $5.695 Million machine is an upgrade from his former jet upgraded features. In terms of performance, the 2013 model far surpasses the 2006 one. It has refinements in engine management systems, improved aerodynamics, and enhanced climb capabilities.

Further improvements may also be there in interior design and cabin pressurization systems. Moreover, the 2013 model also features more responsive flight controls and newer safety technologies. Chase Elliott is revamping the hobby that began in his youth. His father, 16-time Most Popular Driver Bill Elliott, also had a pilot’s license, and Chase got his own in 2015. For Elliott, it is a way to train his mind, as he confessed in March 2024: “The flying thing for me has always been just a way for me to continue to challenge my mind and to try and better myself in an educational way. Kind of to supplement the fact that I didn’t go to college and I didn’t go to school.”

However, Chase Elliott gives this mental exercise a break sometimes. That is especially true when he needs to leave the United States.

Selective preference for commercial flights

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Imagine the usual flight passenger – enduring endless queues in customs, dragging along heavy luggage, and waiting for their flight to take off. Chase Elliott can forego all that hassle. He just needs to hop on board his personal aircraft, switch on the engines, and fly off into the horizon. However, even the 19-time Cup race winner has reservations about flying his own plane sometimes. He revealed to Dale Earnhardt Jr in March 2024 that he leaves his aircraft at home when he is leaving the United States. Elliott confessed that international flights involve too much paperwork – which can be wearisome.

Chase Elliott said that although he considered it, he has ditched that idea since. “I’ve thought about going on some trips, I did a bunch of recons and you know, started getting my stuff and really what stopped me was all the paperwork. It’s a lot of getting online and filing this and filing that and filling out paperwork, sending it off, and getting your sticker back…here’s just a lot that goes into that, so the international flying, it just gets more complicated.” So when Elliott is going overseas, he relies on his favorite commercial flight brand – Delta Airlines. “If I’m leaving the country, I’m probably going (with) Delta.”

Who knows, maybe Chase Elliott will reconsider his international ambitions now that a new ride is in his hands. He will get plenty of chances to flaunt the new plane as he could use it to fly to Cup races and back.