Chase Elliott is a NASCAR driver, and his name here identifies the guest and the race winner being discussed. In this context, it’s tied to the driver’s performance and team strategy decisions.
A pit call is what the team tells the driver about when to pull into the pits. It usually includes things like changing tires and making setup changes so the car can run better.
A restart is when the race starts moving fast again after a caution. The last restart is a big deal because there’s often very little time left to make a move.
Qualifying is when drivers try to set their best lap time before the race. Your qualifying result helps determine where you start, which can matter a lot for strategy.
Between Saturday and the race on Sunday, the team makes changes to help the car handle better. The goal is to improve how the car drives when it matters most.
A shove is when a teammate helps you by pushing your car forward using close racing and drafting. It can help you get a better position to race for the lead.
“Leave us out” means the team tells the driver to stay on the track instead of coming into the pits. It’s a risk because you’re betting the race won’t go long enough to hurt you.
Concept
generation car
“Generation car” means the current “generation” of NASCAR race car rules. When the generation changes, the cars can drive differently, so teams have to learn new setup and driving approaches.
“New body” means NASCAR changed the car’s outer shape for the current rules. That can change how the car cuts through air, which affects grip and stability on track.
“On-track” just means they’re doing it on the actual race course. That’s where teams can collect useful information from real driving and track conditions.
Topic
test earlier in the year at Wilkes-Bro
This is talking about a practice/test session at Wilkesboro. They use that time to learn how the car is behaving so they can improve later.
Here, “data” means numbers and measurements they collect from the car while it’s running. Teams use it to figure out what’s working and what needs adjusting.
Topic
Kyle had a test at Chicago
They’re also talking about a test session at Chicago. More testing means more information to help the team adjust and get better.
The media center is where reporters go to interview the drivers and teams. Elliott is saying this early in the season, they’ve never had this many wins before.
“Runway” here means you have more time to keep working and improving. Early wins give the team breathing room instead of feeling like every race is make-or-break.
It’s basically about doing the plan well when it matters. In racing, teams can have ideas and practice, but the real goal is carrying that into the race.
The pit lane is the area next to the track where cars pull in during a race to get service. How quickly and well the team works there can change the race.
“Over the wall” is NASCAR talk for what the pit crew does during a pit stop. Crew members rush in to work on the car while it’s stopped, and it takes fast, coordinated teamwork.
The spotter is a person who watches the track from a high spot and talks to the driver. They help the driver avoid trouble and choose the right moment to move.
To “drift” means the car slides sideways instead of gripping normally. Drivers do it on purpose sometimes to keep control while going around a corner fast.
A burnout is when the driver makes the tires spin to create smoke. It can help get the tires ready and it’s also a common celebration move after a win.
Victory Lane is where the winner celebrates right after the race. It’s where drivers go for interviews and celebration moments.
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I truly think there's room for us to improve and you know, they don't give out the big trophy till November, right?
If you're grading how bad my burnout was, I'm fine with you. Give me a F minus
Welcome everybody to Kevin Harvick's happy hour podcast
This is the victory lap your boy Mama Smith back in the saddle come off a Texas motor speedway our winner Chase Elliott Chase
How we doing brother?
Good man. Thanks for having me. Thanks for coming on. I know you're a busy guy
So let's talk about the race man. You at the end of the stretch there
You you guys really locked in some good pit calls, but that last restart. You're ready to hold off the 11
Walk us through the last couple laps there
Yeah, it was it was
It's a honestly a really good day all around. I was super proud of
Super proud of the effort all weekend. I thought you know our prep going into the week was really good
Thought we had a pretty solid Saturday felt like I probably under performed, you know, some of the
Potential in our car and qualifying but thought we made good adjustments going to Sunday and executed a good race
Yeah, and you know Alex gave me a great shove on that last restart Allen made a good call to
You know leave us out and you know kind of kind of take a chance that that thing was only gonna have one
Restart to the end. I think that's always the kicker in those situations
It's how many restarts are you gonna have and that's just an answer. No one has in front of them, right? So that's a
That's a tough one. So
Thought he made a good decision
I thought that was the right move thought it was worth the gamble and thought it was just gonna be all about getting clear of
Denny there and one and two and fortunately executed
executed a good a good turn and and put together, you know good four or five laps or to close it out
Yeah, when you look at
You know your time in this generation car the seven-gen car
You've been open about it
It was kind of a struggle at the beginning and now it seems like you have turned a corner
We've talked about it on this show a lot how at the end of last year you could really see it coming on
Do you think you've been able to carry over what you guys learned last year?
Is this a completely different beast that you're dealing with this year? I
Think it's all a continuation, you know, I think it's all cumulative over time
I think that the lessons that you learn or you know
You'd be doing yourself a disservice to not carry them forward, especially if it can help you like even making some bad decisions over the last
three or four years, I think
Has an impact on the the good days that we've had to this point
You know throughout
You know throughout the last year or two really so I think that all that's important to keep in mind and remember
There's certainly been new challenges this year with the new body and us just trying to figure it out
You know like we had a test earlier in the year at Wilkes-Bro
And then you know Kyle had a test at Chicago last week and you combine those two opportunities to gather data with
on-track
Opinions and thoughts and and just data that we've gathered
Manually through the course of the season and you're just trying to piece all the you know put all the pieces of the puzzle puzzle together
And you know, I think the good news is we had a obviously had a good day yesterday
And that's something that you know, we certainly should be proud of but I I truly think there's room for us to improve yet
And and we're gonna have to because it's May and you know, they don't give out the big trophy till November, right?
So I think it's important for us to continue to progress and and I think we still have room to do that
You're a cup champion obviously but at the beginning of the year I put out a statement
I said, I think we can expect the nine team to have a breakout year
And what I meant by that is multiple wins running up front on a week-to-week basis
And now you're starting the year off. You already got two wins in the back pocket
When you look at your championship year, here's where you have multiple wins
Does it feel like that kind of momentum or does this feel like a different year compared to other successful years?
It's a good question it truthfully it feels different right now at least and and that could change right like
I don't know what it's gonna feel like next week, you know, you can have a stretch of bad races
just like we've had, you know, it stretches to some good ones at times too, but
It does feel a little different I you know
I was talking about it yesterday the media center is first time we've ever had, you know, multiple wins this early in the year
And I knew that after Martin's though
I thought that was a really cool accomplishment for us just as a team because
You know, we've been doing this a long time
And I think anytime you can check new boxes off that you haven't accomplished before
Especially when they're in the win column is something to be proud of and I'm really proud of our team for that
And it's not from the standpoint of you know, I think that it takes the pressure off of us
We can relax. I think it's really like man
We just have a much longer runway to make it even better and then to keep building on it
we've not historically had that opportunity and
I think it's important for us to just continue to keep the hammer down and keep our heads down just keep working
You know, I think that's really been a lot of it is just keeping our heads in the game and thinking about the right things on
The weekends and talking about the right stuff on Monday and
Implementing those those thoughts and decisions into our cars the right way each week and then ultimately executing good days
Alan called a great race our picker who's been performing at an extremely high level and
I just think we have a really talented group of people, you know over the wall behind the wall
You know across the board, so I think it's important for us to capitalize on all that while we can and you know look forward to
You know, whatever challenges around the corner
You're one of the most
Polarizing drivers personalities people in motorsports when you win it shakes the fabric of the NASCAR
Ecosystem and with that comes a lot of different challenges for the guys on your team the guys and girls on your team
And you guys have been together for a very long time like you just mentioned
So going through all those ups and downs together, how do you stay focused?
How do you keep everybody focused on what the main thing is and continuing to push forward like you have been over the course of your career?
Yeah, I think it's leaning on that experience that that you know
We have been together for a long time and I've been doing it for over ten years, you know, and I think when you when you compete at
A high level for a long period of time and you're a part of a sport like this and that
Has eyes and and you know gets attention or whatever you're certainly gonna
Have outside opinion and at the end of the day. I think it's up to you to decide how much of that
Matters to you how much of that you let in or how much of that can affect your team?
And I think the cool part about our team is is over the course of time
I feel like truthfully we've done a really good job of just recognizing that
Man, you know, what matters is is what happens inside our our
Walls and and the things that we can control and the things that we put emphasis on and we talk about and
No one else is going through those battles, right?
Like, you know, even the smartest person in the world out there that has the answers to everything is not living in your shoes
And and I think it's important for us to recognize that and and also, you know
Go after each date with that knowledge and understanding that, you know
We ultimately can make a difference and narratives can change fast, you know, all sports is what have you done for me lately?
I've said that for years
And it's up to you as as your individual team to just dig in and do the best job you can if you want those narratives to change
It's on you to do it and fortunately
I've had a great opportunity with a great team for a long time to that believes in me and is, you know
put a lot of faith in me to you know dig in and and
And try and pull my weight. So that's really all I try to do is do my part and
we focus on ourselves and the things that we have going on behind closed doors and
Just go to work man. Just grind it out
Let's go to work man
You talk about your team and we talk about how much of a team sport this is all the time or a family sport
This is all the time your cousin is on is on the spotter stand for your tray
What's it been like kind of being able to be so close to somebody like that?
Have them so close to your career you guys work together and when you win you guys get to win together and celebrate together as a family
Yeah, I mean, I think it's definitely more of a professional
Setting that it is a family setting it at that level and and I think the cool thing is is we
You know, we do a good job of separating those things out and I think he's you know, he's done a good job spot
and you know, certainly has
With experience just like I was talking about about the rest of our team that's been together for a long time
He hasn't been a part of that for the entirety of of that length of period
But I I can see each year, you know, he's like, you know little things here there that he's pieced together that are
You know that improve and he's he's starting to see see the picture a little differently and
So that's been fun to be a part of as well. So yeah, happy for him
Happy for everybody on our team that they they totally deserve it. Like I said, we had a great group and
You know, I think that they I just think a lot of them
You know at the end of the day and and I think that they deserve to win and I'm glad that
I'm glad we had a good day yesterday. I hope we can have some more for them throughout the year because
Like I said, they they certainly deserve it
We're expecting to see some more victory celebrations at a at that number nine Chevrolet chase now
We grade the celebrations here on the show every week and last year
You started off the year with one of the best wins all year
I didn't think anyone was gonna
Gonna beat it. You basically drifted around their Coliseum at Bowman Gray. You got any you got anything coming up for us?
You got some special celebrations, you know for the next win. What do you think?
That's a good question. Um, I didn't think mine. I didn't think yesterday was all that good to be honest
I feel like it could have been a little bit better. You know what I mean? I thought you had more than that
Yeah, no, I I'm fine with I'm fine with you criticizing that all you want. I didn't think it was I didn't think it was my best work
but
You know what? I also realized that's a great problem to have man
If you're grading how how bad my burnout was, I'm fine with you. Give me a f-minus
From from all I care at that point. So but I'll try to if I get another opportunity. I'll try to do a little better for you
I appreciate man. Looking forward to the next opportunity to see chase LA and victory lane
Hopefully on the show this again chase
Congratulations on this weekend and good luck to Watkinson
Thanks, man. Have a good one
You
About this episode
Chase Elliott walks through how Texas came together, from solid prep and Sunday adjustments to a smart late gamble that paid off on the final restart. He also talks about the team’s early-season momentum, saying multiple wins this early is a first for them, while stressing there’s still room to improve. Beyond the race, he keeps the focus internal and even laughs off his underwhelming burnout celebration.
Chase Elliott analyzes his NASCAR Cup Series win at Texas Motor Speedway, dives into his performance, race strategy, team execution, season momentum, and evolving championship outlook in one of the most insightful NASCAR interviews of the year. On this episode of Kevin Harvick’s Happy Hour, Mamba Smith sits down with NASCAR Cup Series driver Chase Elliott to break down his latest victory, discuss areas for improvement, explore what makes this season different, and outline his mindset as he pushes toward a potential championship run.
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