In years past, when a rookie driver would make his debut into the big league of Sprint Cup racing, it would be quite obvious that driver was indeed a rookie. Rookie driver’s with their bright yellow rookie stripes on their back bumpers would qualify near the back and would race there all day and finish near the back, on a good day.
Rookies would often say they just want to finish the race and stay out of trouble. This years’ rookie class is so good, that not only do they qualify well, but some of them are capable of running upfront and challenging for wins. Chase Elliott is is one of these such rookies, he’s soft spoken well mannered, and fast.
His father is Bill Elliott, an awesome driver in his day—so much so his nickname was “Awesome Bill from Dawsonville”. Chase is driving the famous ‘number 24’ and is driving it like a seasoned professional. In this early season he has four starts with a pole and two top tens. He qualifies well and what’s really important is how he races. Chase is able to race to the front of the pack and is skilful enough to stay among the leaders all day. When a rookie driver is capable of racing safely with the sport’s best drivers every week it doesn’t go unnoticed. Confidence and patience are skills that are usually not seen in rookies, but once they are, the veterans soon gain confidence racing with and around them.
One of the best things that can happen to rookies when they are racing is to not hear about them all race long. Usually if your not hearing their name it’s a good thing because they are not causing wrecks and yellow flags. This year Chase Elliott and Ryan Blaney’s names are being mentioned not for causing accidents but because they contending for leads and running upfront. This year the rookies are so talented that they might even win a race or two, times are changing.
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