DAYTONA BEACH — NASCAR driver Chase Elliott stayed busy Wednesday morning with a visit to Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University in a media appearance for Daytona International Speedway.
The two institutions share borders with Daytona Beach International Airport.
When Elliott returns here next month, he will be racing the No. 9 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet in the Coke Zero Sugar 400.
The 22-year-old driver, who flies his own airplane and helicopter, hopped into an ERAU jet simulator, specifically a cockpit replication of a Bombardier CRJ200, for three smooth takeoffs and landings.
“I don’t fly planes that big,” he said after exiting the capsule. “But the controls are kind of the same.”
Elliott said he earned his private plane license in 2014.
“I really got into it and I enjoy it a lot,” he said. “It’s been a lot of fun.”
After that, Elliott was whisked across campus to the ERAU Motorsports Formula SAE shop to look at the team’s latest creation, the ER-04, which was in competition last month in Michigan.
Elliott was greeted by several members of the team before inspecting the small, Formula-style car that was designed and built from the ground up by more than 25 engineering students.
Elliott declined an invitation to take for a spin.
“I don’t want to break anything,” he said with a laugh.
After his tour of the campus, Elliott talked racing with local media, starting with Speedweeks at Daytona in February.
“Speedweeks was great for us right up to the Daytona 500,” Elliott said. “We had a car that was contending and in the forward pack the whole time.
“I look forward to coming to Daytona every time. It’s been an up and down season for us, but the last few weeks have been an improvement from the majority of the season.”
The entire Chevrolet camp is down this season because of unforeseen problems with the new Camaro body style.
Chevy as a group has only one win and that was Austin Dillon’s victory in the season-opening Daytona 500.
“We are coming off our best race of the year,” Elliott said of his 10th-place run at Pocono on Sunday. “It wasn’t our best result, but we showed competitiveness and we were able to drive forward.”
Bill Elliott, Chase’s father, won four Cup Series races at Daytona. Elliott is looking for his first NASCAR win in his third year of competition.
“I’m not in a position to be picky, but Daytona would be a great place to do it,” Elliott said. “I really have had a lot of fun racing down here. Dad had his success at a lot of places, but this would be a great place to get the first one here.”
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