CONCORD, N.C. – Reigning NASCAR Cup Series champion Chase Elliott is set to compete in one of the most difficult dirt-track events in the United States in January.
Elliott confirmed Tuesday evening that he plans to compete in the 35th running of the Lucas Oil Chili Bowl Nationals, scheduled for Jan. 11-16 inside the River Spirit Expo Center in Tulsa, Okla. The car he’ll be driving will be fielded by DIAEDGE Racing.
I’m going to try my best to play in the dirt at the @cbnationals!! Should be fun… ? #di9 #ChiliBowl #Nationals pic.twitter.com/aGKsQIquNb
— Chase Elliott (@chaseelliott) November 25, 2020
“As time goes on in all aspects of racing, being diverse behind the wheel is going to be a good thing,” Elliott explained in a story published Tuesday evening by The Athletic. “Partners are going to appreciate you being able to go and dabble in different things more. And I honestly think you can take lessons from those types of cars and make you better on Sundays. Thickening the notebook is really going to be a big thing.”
In preparation for his Chili Bowl debut, the 24-year-old native of Dawsonville, Ga., will make his midget racing debut during the upcoming DIAEDGE Carolina Midget Showdown on Dec. 12-13 at Millbridge Speedway in Salisbury, N.C.
“It’s a big thing for me not to go with no experience,” Elliott told The Athletic. “I wanted to race somewhere else before I just showed up in Tulsa. I’m going to be able to achieve that now, but I still think I’m going to embarrass myself because it’s a completely new skill set for me that I don’t know.”
Elliott will become the latest driver from a major motorsports discipline to compete in the Chili Bowl, joining the likes of NASCAR driver Landon Cassill and Indy car racers Conor Daly, Santino Ferrucci and James Davison, all of whom competed in the Chili Bowl in the last few years.
In addition to racing in the Chili Bowl, Elliott also recently confirmed he plans to compete in the Snowball Derby at Florida’s Five Flags Speedway for the first time since winning the event for the second time in 2015. The Snowball Derby is scheduled for Dec. 2-6.
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