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Rookie Chase Elliott off to a strong start, as NASCAR heads to Dover

SPRINT CUP SERIES rookies aren't supposed to be racing as Chase Elliott is, unless they are very talented. In Elliott's first 11 races, he has three top-five finishes, four more top 10s and was the fastest qualifier for the season-opening Daytona 500. At age 20, he also is the youngest polesitter for a Daytona 500.

SPRINT CUP SERIES rookies aren't supposed to be racing as Chase Elliott is, unless they are very talented.

In Elliott's first 11 races, he has three top-five finishes, four more top 10s and was the fastest qualifier for the season-opening Daytona 500. At age 20, he also is the youngest polesitter for a Daytona 500.

Sitting 11th in points, Elliott has done a superb job replacing the retired Jeff Gordon in the No. 24 Chevrolet.

"If I told you I wasn't nervous at the beginning of the year I'd be lying," Elliott said Wednesday in a telephone interview. "The biggest things that stand out (so far) are the consistency of the race team and the kinds of cars brought to the racetrack each week."

Elliott will race Sunday at Dover International Speedway and June 5 at Pocono Raceway.

Elliott said Gordon, winner of 93 Cup races and now a Fox Sports analyst, has been supportive.

"We've spent a good bit of time together," Elliott said. "I still consider Jeff a teammate. He's very open and willing to share (information)."

Elliott's father, Bill, is a NASCAR Hall of Famer. Known as "Awesome Bill from Dawsonville," the Georgia native won 44 races, including two Daytona 500s and the 2002 Brickyard 400 at Indianapolis.

Speaking about the Elliotts, Gordon said: "I love the way Bill and Cindy Elliott have brought (Chase) into racing at such a young age and given him the experience, as well as the knowledge of a past champion . . . such a great talent in Bill Elliott transferring that down to his son. This kid has a bright, bright future.

"Chase reminds me of the way his father drove. He doesn't push the issue, but takes what he has and gets the most out of it."

Chase said one piece of good fatherly advice was "When you go to the racetrack, do what you're there to do and don't be caught up in the other stuff."

Kasey Kahne has enjoyed having Chase Elliott as a new Hendrick Motorsports teammate.

"It's nice to have a young guy on the team again," Kahne said. "Jeff (Gordon) is as cool as can be and he was a great teammate. But Chase brings a rookie mentality. He spends a lot of time trying to do everything right. He has a good head on his shoulders."

Elliott's experience at Dover includes four Xfinity series races and a truck race. Last year, he finished sixth and seventh in the "X" races.

Referring to the 1-mile banked concrete oval known as the "Monster Mile," Elliott said: "Dover is a neat place. It's unlike anywhere else we go. It has characteristics we don't see at other places, the way the corners are shaped and the elevation changes. The track can get narrow and the corners really throw you out on the straightaways."

Elliott says he's "very appreciative" of the "once-in-a-lifetime opportunity" he has with Hendrick Motorsports. You can be sure everyone at Hendrick appreciates him, too. Elliott looks as if he'll continue the winning standards set by Gordon, six-time Cup champion Jimmie Johnson, Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Kahne.