WATKINS GLEN, N.Y. -- Last season, when Chase Elliott started five NASCAR Sprint Cup Series points races, he thought it would be his only chance to race against four-time champion Jeff Gordon.
Now, after taking over the No. 24 Chevrolet SS full time, Elliott has once again gotten the opportunity to compete side-by-side with Gordon.
"I obviously never would have thought that it would have worked out like this," Elliott said of Gordon filling in as the driver of the No. 88 Chevrolet SS. "For me, it’s definitely different racing against Jeff, who you didn’t think you were going to race against ever again, probably. I ran a few races with him last year and it was pretty neat."
The rookie noted that just like last year, Gordon has been an asset as a teammate, never hesitating to share as much information as possible with his fellow Hendrick Motorsports drivers.
"He’s been a big help in recognizing where we are week-to-week, trying to help us improve -- he has a lot of great insight," Elliott said. "He’s very aware of what’s going on and aware of our competitors and where he feels like we’re getting beat in certain aspects and he does a really good job of explaining that and breaking it down and trying to explain that to our engineers and the people at Hendrick Motorsports."
Dale Earnhardt Jr. said Friday afternoon that his full focus is on getting better in order to return to racing.
In the meantime, having Gordon in the fold has helped make the best of an unfortunate situation.
"More than anything, he’s being a really good teammate to come back and offer his support and do what he can do behind the wheel, which says a lot about him and his character," Elliott said of Gordon. "He could be off doing a lot of other things, I’m sure. He’s been racing for a long time. I think for him to come back means a lot to the organization as a whole."
As for this Sunday at Watkins Glen?
"I’m sure he’ll be one of the ones to beat," the rookie said. "He’s pretty good here.”