Kevin Harvick's Happy Hour presented by NASCAR on FOX - Chase Elliott Interview following win at Atlanta | VICTORY LAP

Episode Date: June 30, 2025

On this week’s Victory Lap, Kevin Harvick sits down with Chase Elliott to break down his massive win in Atlanta, what it means for his season, and how he views the NASCAR playoff picture moving forward. They also reflect on Elliott’s year so far, the challenges he’s faced, and his mindset heading into the critical stretch run. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

I'm really proud of where we're at. You always want more. I think we're way closer than we even give ourselves credit for some days. We just got to keep our heads down and keep doing the things that we've been doing. Well, Chase, thanks for taking the time today to hop on here and talk about your Atlanta win. Can't be anything more, I know there's not anything more special than winning in your home state close to everything that you've been, everything that you had with the charity aspect to it on the car this weekend. Talk to us about just how cool that is. just to have all that come together at Atlanta this weekend. Yeah, it was incredible.

I mean, I know you've had the opportunity to win at your home track too. And just everything about it is different. It's just extremely meaningful. The whole, I mean, you touched on it, just the whole picture of everything that was going on and everything that had gone into the week. Historically, you know, the design-to-drive paint scheme has had pretty poor results and it was kind of a running joke really going into the

uh going into the weekend so just um couldn't be more proud of of the entire effort um you know raylan uh the mills family just you know that that whole um that whole picture was was just incredible um their attitudes or amazing very contagious it was fun to watch her kind of warm up to all of us throughout the day. And hopefully we gave her and her family, you know, an experience and a moment that they'll remember forever because we certainly received that on our end and she was a large part of it. So big win, you know, nice to get back to Victory Lane anywhere, any time. But, you know, to do it at home on a Saturday night in Atlanta was pretty neat. Talk to me about the rest of the foundation piece of it. I know your suit. And

and, you know, the things that you have to keep raising money. Talk to me about the rest of that before we move on here. Yeah, so everything's, you know, up for grabs in a sweepstakes, basically. And it's up for grabs through the beginning of July. So there's still a little bit of time to enter. And you can get all that information on my website. And, you know, it's been amazing. This is the ninth year of design to drive.

We've raised over half a million bucks through that period of time for children's health care of Atlanta. All the proceeds are going to them as always. And, yeah, should spice things up a little bit, having some wind gear in there. Yeah. That's right. Well, it just took, you know, it's appropriate that it took nine years to get the car, you know, to get the program into Victory Lane. So just that stuff has a funny way of working it out. Racetrack this weekend, it was a wild race.

I mean, tore up a lot of stuff. great race at the end with all you guys just dicing it up there, just incredible to watch. How is the racetrack? Is it losing grip, bumpier, anything changed, or just kind of the same? Because for me, when I drove that race, it was the edgiest, most uncomfortable that I felt in a race car every time that I went on the racetrack since the new design. Yeah, it hasn't really changed a ton, you know, and I don't know if you experienced this, but really probably the last three races there, I feel like the first run is super sketchy for whatever reason.

And then, and this time even more so than it has been, it was so, you know, everybody's so far into the corner of having the back of the cars down and Speedway-esque setups. We started that first round of the race, and I'm like, man, we have messed up, you know, And it went through its normal transition. And I don't know what happens to the track or what, you know, what changes it from the start of the run to the end. Certainly the nightfall, this particular trip, I'm sure, had an impact on it.

But I've seen this even during the day. But by halfway, the track was super locked down, had a lot of grip. And you could get away with, you know, those high stop loads. and things that you would typically do at speedways only. So I do think it is getting in that direction, but under the circumstances and night racing and everything else, you could still stand all that stuff by the end of the race. So you guys have been super consistent, pretty much everywhere that you've been,

and now you finally break through and get to Victory Lane, give yourself that kind of that comfort of saying, okay, now we can move on. We still want to race every week, but we can move on to knowing that we don't have to worry about points and go to the playoffs and all those things. Where's the team at? Where's the weakness? Where do you think that it's just, it just seems like to get that three or four wins, you know, it's just, it's right there in front of you. Where do you think you guys, you know, are right now as a team?

Yeah, I'm really proud of where we're at, you know, truthfully. You always want more. But I just, I think we're, I think we're way closer than we even give ourselves credit for. some days, internally. And I just think that, man, you're fighting for such small pieces of real estate here and there. And I think one really cool part about our team is just the piece of the puzzle of being solid at a lot of different racetracks can sometimes be even a bigger hurdle than just being really good at a certain style in my experience.

And I just feel like with that being said, that's encouraging to me because I feel like we have the ability to be good everywhere, which if we're, if we're that solid at a lot of different types of racetracks, I think we can get to where we can, you know, be exceptional on occasions when we really hit it perfect. And so I guess overall the short answer is I think we're in a good spot. I truly believe that. Aside from Atlanta, you know, I look back at the short answer. I think we're in a good spot. I truly believe that. aside from Atlanta, you know, I look back at the last three weeks at Michigan, Mexico, and Pocono, I felt like we had really good pace at all three of those tracks. Were we the dominant car at all three of those races? No, but I thought we were right up there in the mix of, you know, being in the top five. And, you know, Pocono was a great example. I thought we were one little adjustment away from having turned three.

three rights, really having the whole track piece together really well and being, um, close to the 11 and the 12. So, you know, I think that, um, it's all kind of right there in front of us for the taking in my opinion. And, and I think we just got to keep our heads down and keep doing the things that we're been doing because I think they're the right things right now. And I think the feel that, that I'm looking for and the things that I'm asking for in the car. I'm, I think I'm asking for the right things. And we just have to, to keep trying to squeeze a little bit more and just put together solid weekends from start to finish qualifying. We really need to qualify better. I would put that one at the top of our

list of biggest weakness and just the whole qualifying thing can shape your day as silly as that is to say nowadays it's very true. So we need to do better there. And I think a lot of that that falls on my shoulders and, you know, looking forward to that challenge. And certainly there's still a lot of racing left to get it all right. Well, you're very public about how much you put on your shoulders. And sometimes I feel like it's too much, but you are very, you would take responsibility for being the leader of your team. And, you know, I like that.

So anything fun for the rest of the year? Are we going late model racing anywhere else? I don't think so. we're not very good planners over there. Certainly up for debate. I do think that it's an option where and when, I'm not sure. But I enjoy that stuff when I get to go do it and had a good run at Hickory a few weeks ago

so that enjoyed that. We'll just kind of see, but nothing's set in stone. Yeah, well, it is fun. I got my butt kicked by a 12-year-old this weekend, And so I think that I go for the event now, not really for the performance. So it's fun to see you in Victory Lane, man. I appreciate you taking the time. I know it's special to see everything that you guys did over the weekend with everything

as you had going on with the hometown and charity aspect of it. I'm happy for you. Good luck the rest of the year. And hopefully we talk to you again. Yeah, man. Appreciate that. Thank you.