323 - Chase Elliott: The Champion

The NASCAR season is over and a new champion has been crowned. Dale Earnhardt Jr. brings on the 2020 Cup Series champion Chase Elliott to dive into what this accomplishment means for the 24-year-old and how he pulled it off. Plus, the DJD gang reflects on the unprecedented year for the sport. Dale Jr. and co-host Mike Davis first find out they are the reasons Elliott got out of bed this morning after living it up last night celebrating in his hometown of Dawsonville, Georgia. Chase spills the details on the party and how his dad, the legendary Bill Elliott, joined in on the fun. Elliott received a special welcome home parade on Monday. He talks about that experience and why it’s unique to him among his Cup Series competitors. Long-time Cup Series crew chief Alan Gustafson is now a champion. Elliott talks about what it means to be the one who delivered it to him. Dale inquiries about the No. 9 team’s ability to perform under pressure, especially in the playoffs where they won three of the last five races. Davis asks Elliott about his performance in Phoenix and whether it met Elliott’s tough standards. Lastly, Dale delivers a special message to Chase on an accomplishment he was never able to capitalize on. In the open segment, the crew reflects on championship weekend at Phoenix Raceway. Dale Jr. dives into Elliott’s day and how Hendrick Motorsports has mastered the art of shelving tricks to use later in the season. Plus, Dale shares a story of skirting the rules and trying to hide it from competitors in the Cup Series garage. Self-admittedly hard on NASCAR, Dale gives the sport and its leadership team props for pulling off a season many didn’t think would be possible. The gang reflects on the challenges the pandemic presented, the ways the sport overcame it, and the memorable moments it created. Sunday marked Jimmie Johnson’s final farewell. Dale discusses how underappreciated Jimmie has been throughout his career and why his feat of winning five consecutive titles needs better recognition. In #AskJr, bossman Dale addresses the finish to the Xfinity Series race as Justin Allgaier battled for the title on the final restart. Plus, find out why he got mad at Steve Letarte during the race. It wouldn’t be a new episode without beef jerky. Stay tuned until the end to find out what arrived in the Dirty Mo studio. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices