Chase Elliott wants NASCAR to be 'not too hard-headed' about adapting and making changes to the Next Gen car

2020 NASCAR Cup Series champion Chase Elliott has been one of the most highly regarded drivers among the younger generation in the sport. Along with being the driver to beat on road courses, Elliott has also showcased his consistency over the 2022 season, as he leads the drivers' standings table.

Son of Hall of Famer Bill Elliott, it is safe to assume that the 26-year-old has as much racing know-how as one can have. The Dawsonville, Georgia native grew up in a family that was always heavily invested in NASCAR, courtesy of his father. Ever since the seventh generation, better known as the 'Next Gen' car, made its debut in the sport, there have been varied opinions about the same, mostly positive.

The Hendrick Motorsports driver recently spoke on the topic and NASCAR's future as a whole in an interview with Jeff Gluck from The Athletic, saying:

“What’s concerning to me is I don’t want the industry to be so set in this Next Gen car and how it sits currently. I don’t want the people who designed it, who came up with it, to get so hard-headed and set in their ways to not be willing to make changes and better our racing at these different tracks, because this is a learning process, and I think you have to be willing to change this thing a little bit as time goes on, to put on the best racing product we can.”

Read the complete interview below:

Elliott emphasized the need to continuously improve and refine a new formula that is the Next Gen car to make for even better racing. So far this season, eighteen races have seen thirteen different drivers visit Victory Lane, which highlights the parity the new car has bought for the Cup Series. According to Chase Elliott, however, there is still more to unlock from the car.

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Chase Elliott pleased with the governing body's flexibility in 2022

Hendrick Motorsports driver Chase Elliott also touched upon NASCAR's recent decision-making and their willingness to try new things. He appreciated the governing body's addition of the World Wide Technology Raceway to the calendar earlier this year and said:

“I’m the most optimistic from the side of things that we’ve been trying new places and new things out. We’re not scared to do that as an industry,” he said. “Coming to a new track such as Gateway. We’ve visited new places over the last couple years, but it seems like most of them had been road courses. It’s nice to come to an oval.”

Watch Chase Elliott take on Atlanta Motor Speedway this weekend at Quaker State 400 on Sunday at 3:00 pm ET on FS1.