Chase Elliott happy to have Hooters on board, stares down 'chicken wings'
Chase Elliott likes to keep life simple, and in some ways the same.
But when a new sponsor came calling in Hooters Restaurant, he was more than willing to not only change up the paint scheme on his No. 24 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet for two 2017 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series races but also to do a photo shoot with a couple of the casual-dining company’s, uh, representatives.
“It was definitely one I wasn’t going to turn down, that’s for sure,” Elliott said Tuesday on the first day of NASCAR’s 2017 preseason media tour. “I had a lot of fun with it and they’re certainly a fun group of people – not just the brand, but the good group of people that they have to work with behind the scenes. … I didn’t get to eat, but I got to stare at a lot of chicken wings, which was tough.”
To which it was duly noted that Elliott may be the first one to work with or visit a Hooters and stare at the chicken wings instead of something else.
https://twitter.com/Hooters/status/823932990094852096
https://twitter.com/Hooters/status/823668896607666176
In all seriousness, Elliott said he deeply respects the NASCAR history behind the sponsorship and welcomes it for the May race at Talladega and the November race at Phoenix.
“I’m excited to have them on board,” Elliott said. “I know their history with (former champion) Alan Kulwicki is long and him and my dad (Hall of Famer Bill Elliott) obviously had a great championship battle in ’92. I know my dad had a lot of respect for Alan and what he did, so it’s great to carry the Hooters colors this year. It’s definitely something different and something to be excited for.”
Meanwhile, for Elliott to build on a rookie Cup Series season that included a trip to the NASCAR playoffs, he knows it will require a combination of staying the course and improving in all areas that he and his team can. He said one of the aspects of his sophomore Cup season that most excites him is that he will continue to have the same crew chief in Hendrick veteran Alan Gustafson.
“One thing I’m excited about which I haven’t had in the last few years is that I’m going to have the same crew chief for two years in a row now,” Elliott said. “I haven’t had that, so I’m really excited about it.
"I really liked working with Alan last year and I think he’s one of the best, in my opinion. I know everybody says that about their crew chief, but I’m pretty confident in saying that. I think he does a great job and I think he’s very underrated in what he does – just in how hard he works to make our race team go.”
The rest of Elliott’s hopes for improving on his Sunoco Rookie of the Year season that included two poles, 10 top-five and 17 top-10 finishes – but no wins – is simple. Or at least he said he hopes to keep it that way.
“I think for us it’s just about starting out the year and improving in areas we want to get better in, or areas we’ve struggled in, areas I’ve struggled in – and also improving in the areas where we succeeded,” he said. “I think you’ve got to keep it as simple as that.”
