Chase Elliott makes his feelings clear on what excites him about the North Wilkesboro Speedway

This weekend, the NASCAR All-Star Race returns to North Wilkesboro Speedway for the third straight year. In the lead-up, Chase Elliott shared his thoughts on the historic short track. Speaking ahead of his 10th consecutive All-Star Race appearance, the Hendrick Motorsports driver explained why North Wilkesboro on the schedule matters to him.

Chase Elliott pointed to its history and recent investment when asked what excites him about the venue. In a media availability shared by Speedway Digest, Elliott shared,

“This place has been around for a long time,”

“It’s kind of in the heart of NASCAR, with Charlotte being right down the road.” he added

Further, Elliott praised the decision to repave the track, signaling NASCAR's commitment to keep the historic speedway in the mix long-term. What excites Chase Elliott the most is that NASCAR made a financial commitment to North Wilkesboro.

“I was excited to see that NASCAR or whoever spent a bunch of money to repave the place because that just told me that it was going to be around for a while, and they made that commitment pretty quickly,” he said.

For Elliott, it’s not just about the track surface—it’s about the message it sends. North Wilkesboro once sat idle for years after falling off the Cup Series schedule in the 1990s. The fact that it now hosts the All-Star Race for a third year in a row—and has been repaved—means the sport values it.

Chase Elliott has a personal connection to the speedway. At just 14 years old, he won a late model race at the track back in 2010. That victory came in the PASS series, it was the track’s first competitive event since its closure in the mid-1990s. This weekend will be Chase Elliott’s 10th straight start in the All-Star Race, a spot he’s secured for life thanks to his 2020 Cup Series championship and his All-Star win that same year.

His performance in this race has been consistent—seven top-8 finishes in nine starts, with an average finish of 8.0, ranking fourth-best among active drivers with four or more All-Star entries.

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Chase Elliott prepares for return to Late Model roots next week

While the All-Star buzz surrounds North Wilkesboro this weekend, Chase Elliott is already looking ahead to another kind of race. On May 22, the Hendrick Motorsports driver will compete in the Late Model Stock Tour Series at Hickory Motor Speedway in North Carolina.

Elliott will drive the Fr8Auctions-sponsored #9 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1, announced his participation via X, formerly Twitter. He wrote:

"Back for some late model racing with @fr8auctions next Thursday at Hickory Motor Speedway! See y’all there."

The race is part of the ASA National Series/INEX Legends National Qualifier. It draws another return to Elliott’s racing roots. Before climbing the NASCAR ladder, he made his name in grassroots racing circuits like the Super Late Model Stock Tour, the ARCA Menards Series, and the Champion Racing Association.