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Hendrick Motorsports driver Chase Elliott is set to kick off the NASCAR offseason with another competition. He has agreed to return to Nitro Rallycross for another race.
NRX announced the news on August 18, ahead of the NASCAR trip to Watkins Glen International. The series revealed that Elliott will make his return to the star car, but he will take on a new track. He will suit up for the November 12-13 race weekend at Wild Horse Pass Motorsports Park in Phoenix, Ari., the same track where Kyle Busch made his debut in 2021.
“As we gear up for the U.S. we’re so excited to welcome back Chase Elliott for Phoenix,” Travis Pastrana said in a press release. “Having a NASCAR Cup Series champion of Chase’s caliber return is so awesome, and it reaffirms our goal to challenge the best and most fearless drivers in motorsport while offering fans unparalleled racing excitement. But on race day it’s absolutely game on for the checkered flag.”
According to the announcement graphic, Elliott will take on a different type of car during his return to NRX. He will race in Group E, which features the new, all-electric FC1-X that can produce the electric equivalent of 1,070 peak horsepower (800 kW).
The 2022-2023 season features the first schedule with the FC1-X, which can accelerate from 0-60 in just 1.4 seconds. This makes the purpose-built vehicles faster than a Formula 1 car off of the line.
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Elliott Made His NRX Debut During the 2021 Season
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GettyChase Elliott finished eighth in his Nitro Rallycross debut.
Series creator Travis Pastrana spent time during the final weeks of the NASCAR season trying to secure some guest drivers. He first swung a deal with Kyle Busch and then headed to Martinsville Speedway looking for more participants.
Joey Logano said that he wanted to compete, but he did not have the opportunity during the inaugural season of NRX. Kyle Larson mentioned the possibility but noted that his wife may not support the idea. Elliott, however, agreed to take part in the December weekend at The Florida International Rally & Motorsports Park. Though Pastrana had to first agree to jump out of his airplane.
Elliott’s debut weekend in NRX featured some head-turning moments. He took part in a wild battle with Tanner Foust on December 4 and beat the veteran driver to the checkered flag. However, officials penalized Elliott for contact on the track and awarded the win to Foust.
Elliott still secured his spot in the final round, where he took on Pastrana, Scott Speed, and several other drivers. He capped off his weekend with an eighth-place finish while Pastrana secured the championship over Speed.
The 2020 Cup Series champion will now have the opportunity to return to the star car and pursue a stronger overall performance. He will do so while working with one of his primary partners, A SHOC Energy, which actually took over as the sponsor of the star car.
Elliott’s Return Creates More Questions
Thrill OneChase Elliott will take over one of the Group E vehicles.
With Elliott returning to NRX, there are only more questions. Will he achieve success? Will he fight for more race wins? Will he kickstart a run of guest drivers as NRX continues the United States portion of the schedule?
Elliott and Busch were the only two full-time NASCAR drivers that took part in the inaugural season, but they were far from the only ones that expressed interest. Similarly, IndyCar driver Conor Daly had his own plans to get in the star car at one point. Though it did not take place during the 2021 season.
“Considering when Kyle made the final and didn’t die, didn’t get hurt, didn’t crash the car, I think that opened a lot of people’s eyes to say ‘Wow, I can do that,’” Pastrana told Heavy in December 2021. “Or ‘I can maybe try this and maybe my IndyCar deal or my NASCAR deal will allow this.’ So I think that’s what’s really cool, and I was super thankful for Kyle — and actually Scott Speed for kind of setting that up — to jump in just to show everyone else that it was something that was feasible.”
Those wanting to see Elliott’s NRX return in person can purchase tickets for the Arizona race. They will go on sale Monday, August 22nd at 10 am and will be available at nitrorallycross.com. The race weekend will also stream live on Peacock in the United States and on YouTube worldwide.
Both general admission tickets ($20 single-day for Saturday, $25 single-day for Sunday), as well as VIP Club Nitro RX passes ($100 single-day for Saturday, $125 single-day for Sunday), will be available. Kids under the age of 12 can attend for free.
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