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Texas winner Chase Elliott has disagreed with Dale Earnhardt Jr.'s demands of arranging more practice sessions prior to Cup races in order to aid part-time drivers like Jimmie Johnson.
Seven-time NASCAR Cup Series champion Jimmie Johnson returned to the race track last weekend. The 48-year-old driver, who competes on a part-time basis for his own team, Legacy Motor Club, entered his second race of the season at Texas Motor Speedway on Sunday.
Johnson's return, by and large, turned out to be a lackluster affair, with fans even urging the Hall of Fame driver to call it quits instead of working a part-time schedule. He secured a 29th-place finish.
Following the race, retired driver and fellow Hall of Famer Dale Earnhardt Jr. voiced his support for the $160 million-worth racing legend Jimmie Johnson (according to Celebrity Net Worth). In a recent episode of the Dale Jr Download podcast, he urged NASCAR to organize more practice sessions in order to get the part-time drivers in better shape. He said (38:20):
"If Jimmie is not going to race every week and he’s going to run 5 races, Jimmie needs practice."
The same episode also featured Chase Elliott, who broke his 42-race winless streak on Sunday to finally drive into victory lane after a year and a half. Elliott, who won the AutoTrader EchoPark Automotive race in Texas, shared his opinion on Earnhardt's demands, stating:
"I think we have enough practice. I certainly can understand their perspective on guys either running a part-time schedule or people that are running, maybe full-time in Xfinity and then running a few Cup races here and there."
Chase Elliott compares NASCAR practice sessions to dirt track races
Chase Elliott drew a comparison to dirt track races, where drivers often have limited practice time before competing. He stated in the same podcast (48:00):
"When I look at the whole argument as a whole, I look at short tracks across the country and there's dirt track races that happen every Friday or Saturday night that they get literally five laps of hot laps and then they run the race."
The Hendrick Motorsports driver questioned why NASCAR drivers, considered professionals at the pinnacle of the sport, should require more practice time compared to those in lower racing tiers. He added:
"I'm like, we're supposed to be professionals, and we're supposed to be at the top of our class. Why should we get an hour and a half when people that are trying to come up through the ranks only get five laps?"
In the ongoing season, Chase Elliott is ranked fourth in the NASCAR Cup Series standings after nine races. The 28-year-old Hendrick Motorsports driver has 303 points to his name, courtesy of three top-5 finishes.
