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Chase Elliott Talks Texas Win · Kenny Wallace Media

0:00
Justin schuler kicking the tires it's been almost 32 years since
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Hooters been in Victory Lane So what does it mean for you 'cause
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you obviously have not just a little fan base but a lot of
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loyal business partners on the business side of it too So what
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does this mean for you personally to be able to break
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that Hooters curse I guess you could say and and get to the
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Victory Lane again. Honestly one one of the coolest
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parts of the the post race for me you know Hooters has been a
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great partner of ours for for a number of years now and.
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It's been a a dream to pay respect to to Allen quickie and
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and doing a Polish victory lap and you know and in the Hooters
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colors and that's something I wanted to do for a long time and
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have just not had the opportunity to do that came
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close a few times and yeah as soon as the race is over I was
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like man we finally we finally got our opportunity to to do it
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and and pay pay respect to him and and and the partnership and.
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You know Hooters has been around for a long time and and just
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kind of to see that whole deal come full circle with with his
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championship run out running my dad and then you know they're
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now a partner of mine and ended a long you know a long win less
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drought for them and and myself too and and our team so just
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yeah really special in a lot of ways but pretty fitting when you
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when you kind of look at it well I think just our our performance
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over the last month or. Maybe 2 has has done more than
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more than anything I mean I I think just the obviously these
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races are hard to win and they just keep they seem like they
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get harder at least for me they they continuously get harder
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over time and you know one I've I've just been really proud of
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of our group for sticking together 'cause you know I'm I'm
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sure you get a lot of you guys have been around the sport long
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enough to understand and know that.
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You know when when you have a couple bad years or you know a
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period of time that things aren't going well it is so easy
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to jump ship and and to to start bailing out on on one another
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and I think that the winds great all that stuff is fantastic but
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I'm I'm truthfully most proud of of the journey and and the group
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of people that that we have climbed back up together with
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and and we've made each other better they pushed me to be a
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better driver and a better person and.
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You know I just feel like we're all in a in a really good place
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and we have been and it's nice to see all the hard work pay off
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and and those guys really deserve to win they've been
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they've been busting it for a while and and have been doing a
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a really good job so that's what I'm most proud of is is the
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journey and and all of us sticking together at at the 19.
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Go next to Lee then to Jeff then the Cameron.
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Lee Spencer Sirius XM NASCAR radio and catch fence.com I
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think the Black Hat kind of suits you but you you told us
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last week at Martinsville that you you thought you were close
2:59
it just seemed the momentum just seemed to be kind of building
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for this team did you kind of feel that too.
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Well I felt like we've just been running better throughout not
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just the last few weeks I mean yes we've had better finishes
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over the last few weeks but I feel like just.
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Generally speaking from a competitive standpoint we've
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been better to the competition throughout the really most of
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the season we just haven't always had great finishes and
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great results but relative to the guys that have won a lot of
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these things you know over the last year or so I thought we've
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been closer to them I still think we have a lot of work to
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do for sure I mean a lot of things went our way today I'm
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not I'm not naive to that for sure as as well but you.
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You have to be in the mix and you got to be upfront to even
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have things go your way and we were we were close enough to do
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that and you know we still want to be better and and I think we
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have room for for improvement but just proud of proud of the
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way everything worked out it was you know it's a lot more fun
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when you're fighting for wins and and upfront battle on
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whether it goes your way or it doesn't go your way just to to
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have a shot is is enjoyable. My choice said you know in the
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3rd stage basically. He made the note that you had
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never received a top 5 on a on with this car at an intermediate
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track and that just seems so bizarre because we're so used to
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you running up front and even Allen was kind of like surprised
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at that stat and then not just to get a top 5 but to get a win
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here how satisfying is that. Yeah I mean I like I said just I
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thought yesterday throughout. Throughout practice you know
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Texas is Texas is a place that that you really your car has to
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have some comfort because it's just really an uncomfortable
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racetrack especially in the turn one and and the surface and the
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tire and all that stuff is just it's really hard to get a hold
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of and and it's really heat sensitive and and all those
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things so I just thought that our car had more comfort that I
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remember it having and and on a practice day going into the
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weekend so I had a obviously a terrible qualifying lap and.
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The you know believe it or not I was actually optimistic going
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into the Tay I thought that our car was was solid but you know
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as I was kind of thinking about it yesterday I've qualified that
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bad and not knowing why so at least I had a understanding of
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what I did wrong and and I think that is you know that's a step
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and you got to understand what the issue is before you can you
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know so you can fix it Yep. Go next to Jeff then the Cameron
5:39
then the Caleb. Chase you've been.
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Very open about the journey with this.
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Car for for. Your team and trying to the
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process getting better how do you avoid.
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Letting self doubt creep. In about your own performance
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and pushing looking for you oh sorry hi how do you avoid self
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doubt creeping in and and pushing that away and not being
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like well maybe it's just me you know and and maybe.
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It's not this. Car like how do you how do you
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not let that seep in yeah it's obviously very tough and and I
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think is you know the longer it goes and the more ways you find
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to. To either not run good or or
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lose races you know it's it can make it tougher but to to me
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honestly this this journey and and and everything about today
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is really a credit to to the guys that sit in our meetings on
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Monday mornings in the 9 room and and that starts with Allen
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and you know as I as I mentioned a second ago it it's it's really
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easy when when things go bad to jump ship and and.
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Go do something different or or for those guys to go elsewhere
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you know it just is and it happens a lot but it's been a a
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a extremely important thing to me and and fortunately to our
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entire group to try to climb this mountain again together and
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and try to get back to where we need to be as a group you know.
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We're not all together but but a lot of us are are still are
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still there that have been on on our team for most of my 9 years
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and that's you know pretty special so I I look at I look at
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it as a credit to them because I think they've made me better and
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they pushed me to be better help me identify some of my faults
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and and some of my bad habits and and been patient with me as
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I've addressed them. Or at least started to and I
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again as I referenced a second ago I think I have still work to
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do no doubt we had we had a lot of stuff go our way today but
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we've been we've been back in the mix more often and and that
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that that is certainly progress and and I think that is is worth
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being proud of. Go next to Cameron then to Caleb
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then the chance. Cameron Richardson nascar.com to
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add on the Jeff 's question who. Has been the most important
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person to you? During this journey of.
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Trying to get back to climbing the mountain because obviously
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you know you may not you know maybe be be as open about as
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possible but who has. Been that one person.
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That has made sure the days don't get as down as you know
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you you might let them I think you know really that starts with
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Allen you know and and and the people that the people that.
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Ultimately have a role in in how fast we go on the weekends sit
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in our little meeting room on Mondays and and the and the
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picker guys that that work you know at the shop throughout the
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week too so our our little group you know that that we travel
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with and we spend the most time with they have a a big impact on
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on that process and then we just we're around each other all the
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time right you know we we spend as much time with with each
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other as we do with our families and.
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It's it's important to you know make sure we're all pulling in
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the same direction and I'm just very fortunate that I'm
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surrounded by the type of people that we can all be open and
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honest with one another and and push each other to be be better
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even when it might be something that you don't necessarily want
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to hear and it's well received and and that's growth you know
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that's that that's improvement that's being.
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Mature adults and you know I I think that we're we just have a
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have a special group and everybody 's clicking and and
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working for for each other and and I think that starts with
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Allen and and his leadership he's been doing a long time I've
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been doing a long time but he's been doing a lot longer than me
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and you know it's nice to have that experience to to lean on
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he's he's pretty much seen it all you know throughout his
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career and and that's that's a nice thing to lean on.
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Go to Caleb chance Jonathan and Steven hey chase Caleb
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vesselspeedwaydigest.com I was doing some research it's
10:00
actually been 10 years and 10 days since when you got your
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first back then Nationwide Series win here at Texas and to
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come full circle I mean I in recent interviews you said that
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Texas has been one of your worst tracks so to come back here 10
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years and 10 days later what does that mean anything to you
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personally. Oh that's been a long time 10
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years ago I guess we're all. Getting older but yeah it's it's
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crazy you know just how fast time goes by and honestly that
10:28
that's what tells me more than anything is just how how
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QuickTime goes but yeah I remember like it was yesterday I
10:35
I remember the last run of the race and and moving up to the
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middle lane had no idea what I was doing but it felt grippy and
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next thing you know we're passing the Kevin and and racing
10:46
Kyle Busch for the win and had absolutely no clue what was
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going on and was running. Often times better that way than
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you do when you try to think about it more so yeah just time
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flies but that was a special year and really the the success
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that year that started here probably led to some of the
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opportunities and partnerships that we had going into 16 and
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and beyond so it was a certainly a a big deal for for everybody
11:16
that was involved and a lot of the a lot of the same folks are
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today. Go to chance Jonathan Steven and
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Jerry. Chase chance Lancaster in my
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Motorsports power hour I was curious about taking us through
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you know the last final laps that restart you took Tyler
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Reddick 3 wide to the inside really bold move pushed him
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really hard got out front there started getting a little loose
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then he went by you and you know that his lead started growing to
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56 car links. You said you were a little
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tighter at that point can you take us through as we finally
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got that caution what your strategy was on how to line up
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on each restart and then also we got several green white checkers
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there but take us through the strategy of your ideas.
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Yeah I mean I thought the race was over I I got the lead and on
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the restart you know Tyler kind of left the bottom open there I
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was shocked you know that that he did and I you know just kind
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of felt like that I needed to I need to take that opportunity
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and. And and go with it and
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fortunately that that part worked out I was concerned about
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getting out front and being too free I was on the free side of
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things prior to that and yeah got out front and and got too
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loose and and just couldn't couldn't keep the right rear
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controlled and and next thing you know I'm playing defense and
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I knew I was in in a lot of trouble and then you know Denny
12:45
passed me and and he looked like he was very much the same.
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And I was like man well maybe we got maybe I can run behind him
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and get you know get myself back tight again and this might be a
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good thing you know and and we were starting to I was starting
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to creep up to him a little bit saw him making a couple of
13:01
mistakes similar to what I was doing and then the then the
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caution started falling and and we had another opportunity you
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know and and you know as I as I mentioned a second ago certainly
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had things go our way with whenever the caution fell and
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having the lead and. And and the pushing and shoving
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that that went on was in in our favor on on the closing restart
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so yeah it it was fun to be a part of it you know like I said
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you got you got to be in the mix to have a shot and then you got
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to be in the mix to have things go your way so nice to be in
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those front couple rows and and be able to be able to have a
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chance. Jonathan Steven and Jerry.
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Jonathan field the racing. Experts you know you spoke about
13:45
the relationship. With Allen with the team I mean.
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Going back 2016. How has it?
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Evolved since day one. Oh my gosh about as much as it
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possibly could I mean you know I I was what 20 or 21 you know
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when when we started and you know Allen have been been doing
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it for a long time at that point so he's kind of watched me.
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Age and and get older through you know an important part of
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your life there you know through through your 20s and you know
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having that you know professional relationship with
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him has been it's been great because he's test Yep we're back
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he's he's just the kind of guy that he he just keeps things.
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Right where they need to be you know and and it's very easy to
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get up and it's easy to get down and he just keeps things right
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where they need to be to all do our jobs and and make sure we're
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focused on the things we need to be focused on so really
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appreciative of that I've learned a lot from that approach
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and it's been you know we we've got to know each other a lot
15:06
better over the years and and our our certainly our personal
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relationship has grown quite a lot and.
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Admire him and appreciate him sticking with me and you know
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being willing to fight through this journey and and our
15:19
struggles and we can be open and honest and talk about why we
15:23
were bad or you know what I did wrong or what he did wrong and
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we can you know look each other and be like all right you know
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let's go back to work and that's just kind of how how it is so
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I'm thankful for that because. It's you know that that's an
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important thing in in this world to have when you're when you're
15:44
in this competitive environment. Steven Steven
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stumpfriendships.com chase part of what got you back into the
15:53
game after starting kind of in the mid pack was running long
15:56
and having that caution in the first stage how important was it
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you know in just terms of the getting that track position to
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make the rest of the race easier run up front.
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And was that kind of you and Allen 's was that kind of the
16:07
plan from the start or was it kind of a matter of we're in the
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lead we're just going to run as long as we can.
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Well we were just buried you know I've I had a bad qualifying
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lap yesterday and we were just yeah we were just buried in
16:18
traffic and and the track hadn't really come in good at that
16:22
point in time so traffic was even worse then at that point in
16:27
the race and I think it was as as the race went on so once
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people started peeling off the pit really.
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We actually ran our fastest laps of the race after everybody pit
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they're like 50 some odd laps into the run right before the
16:41
caution came out we were running our best laps that we had all
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day so you know clean air was just that big of a deal and it
16:48
got us it got us into a position where we were we were making up
16:52
a little ground because of the pace and and we were just trying
16:56
to be different than everybody else and unfortunately it fell
16:59
our way. And then.
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Saturday you did when I asked him about the you know current
17:04
configuration you did say that into the previous one was one of
17:06
your favorites does your thoughts on what we have here at
17:08
Texas now change now that you have this one.
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Not really but I do think that the the tire today I thought was
17:16
an improvement for it was just it was fun because like we
17:21
actually had a little fall off like tire you know tire sets
17:25
meant a little something so. I think that was why the race
17:29
was as good as it was was because we did have a little bit
17:31
of fall off and it it promoted you to want to come down pit
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road and and put on tires a little more than we have been
17:37
I'm not saying it was great but I'm saying it was better than
17:41
than it's been at least for my my vantage point I I could be
17:44
totally off base when you watch something from the outside it it
17:47
can look different but from where I was sitting seemed like
17:50
tires were a little more of a factor and I think that's a good
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thing thank you. Jerry Jordan kicking the
17:57
tires.net. Real quick obviously feels
18:00
probably pretty good to be here and you know celebrating a win
18:03
after the race I saw William cover come over and talk to you
18:06
a little for I guess a couple of seconds I don't know what was
18:09
that conversation like and was that just congratulations or.
18:13
Yeah did you just say Congrats and you know obviously he's had
18:17
a had a great year you know and and and I've been I've been on
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the other side of the coin where I've been having good years and
18:25
and. And other guys that you know on
18:29
on the team haven't you know and and you want to see those you
18:33
want to see your teammates you know get up in there and and and
18:37
battle for wins and be in the fight you know it's it's a good
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thing you know and and I think he just he he he recognizes
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because he sees it how hard we've worked as a team to try to
18:48
get better and and whatnot behind the scenes so I think
18:51
that was really more than anything was just saying good
18:54
job and and. And that's obviously meaningful
18:59
to to me you know because we do work alongside each other and
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and he's been doing a great job. Go up front here then go back to
19:08
Wyatt. Chase heavy.com Kyle Dalton
19:12
heavy.com so there was that point toward the end of the race
19:15
where Alan said did you hear me and so did you feel like at any
19:19
point like at that point you might have it might have been
19:22
costly to you because you've obviously.
19:25
Oh yeah. And so I think you've talked
19:27
about things. Going wrong so things went right
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for you today in that situation they did for for sure they went
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they went right no doubt yeah I I thought I messed this up there
19:37
and you know thankfully John got a got a great plug and and got
19:42
you know got it filled up more than a normal cadence of a stop
19:50
would be. And I think we had a little bit
19:53
of a hold up on the stop you know which kind of works in our
19:56
favor too and just yeah it just worked out and obviously the
20:00
cautions they're a good thing until you go past you know
20:03
scheduled distance and then at that point we were fixing to be
20:05
in trouble I'm not sure how many more green white checkers we
20:07
could have done but I thought great you know this would be
20:10
we'll we'll run out of gas here leading this thing so glad glad
20:15
we didn't. Going back to white.
20:20
Chase Elliott Y Watson with front trash dot.
20:22
Com First off congratulations to your first cup series cowboy
20:25
hat. And number 2.
20:28
What does it mean to you now? Being the 3rd teammate at
20:32
Hendrick Motorsports to win and Rick Hendricks 40th anniversary
20:37
yeah just nice to contribute you know really more than anything
20:41
just nice to nice to feel like you're you're helping out you
20:45
know not not just winning not just putting you know banners on
20:49
the wall but. Pushing the the team and and the
20:52
company to be better I mean that that's the the winds are nice
20:57
and and for sure you have to enjoy them because man they're
21:00
hard to get and you know it certainly made me enjoy these
21:04
moments more and try to just slow down and embrace it because
21:08
it's what you work for every week and but from a team
21:11
perspective and and the 40th and.
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For Rick and and just appreciative for appreciative of
21:17
him for sticking with me and continuing to believe in me and
21:21
and to to make sure that I know that and he does a great job of
21:26
that and I'm I'm grateful for it but glad just glad I can
21:30
contribute and we can contribute as a team to to the company as a
21:34
whole and that's a lot more fun you know when when you're doing
21:38
that. Well chase congratulations on
21:42
the triumph good luck next. Week thank you appreciate it
21:44
y'all enjoy your week.