Chase Elliott confident heading into Daytona 500

There was no “aha moment,” though it’s easy to think so, considering how Chase Elliott went about winning the opening Can-Am Duel qualifying race Thursday night at Daytona International Speedway.

Initially, Elliott’s performance had all the feel of a year ago, when the then-rookie crashed early in the Daytona 500, ending what appeared to be a promising day that saw him capture the pole position in his first race as the replacement for the retired Jeff Gordon. Riding in a pack of cars, Elliott got loose, spun exiting Turn 4, and went sliding through the frontstretch infield grass, tearing the frontend off the No. 24 car.

On Thursday, the situation wasn’t as calamitous, though Elliott certainly gave the appearance of a driver still finding his way. Several times he tried to make aggressive moves to no avail, an all-too-familiar look for someone whose lack of drafting experience was noticeable as he slid from the pole toward the back.

Restrictor-plate racing is about getting reps, drivers frequently say. The more you do it, the better your understanding of the draft, of when to block, of when to lay back, and all the other nuances a driver must calculate in mere seconds while driving 200 mph.

The 21-year-old Elliott admits he’s yet to fully grasp all of these components. But he’s obviously learned from last year. Take, for instance, what unfolded over the second half of the 60-lap duel. Gradually, he began picking his way toward the front, and then completed an impressive outside pass around leader Brad Keselowski, who dominated the early stages.

“I felt like after that Lap 25 caution, I’m not sure if it was how the lanes lined up, the lanes that opened up for us, that we were able to push our way up through there,” Elliott said. “The big thing is we had a good car. I think as the race went along, a couple guys caught onto that and they thought by helping me they might help themselves.

“It’s all what you can do to help yourself. If they don’t feel like helping is going to help them, they’re not going to help you. That’s just the way it is.”

Elliott would hold the lead the remainder of the night, but he would have to work for it. Multiple times he had to fend off former Daytona 500 winners Jamie McMurray and Kevin Harvick, as well as Keselowski, regarded as one of NASCAR’s best plate racers. The sophomore driver executed as a veteran would -- sensing a line of cars were coming, Elliott would then dart up the track into the top groove, or swing down to the bottom lane to cutoff the charge.

He led 25 laps in total, including the final 24. And the big takeaway, he said, was getting the chance to race and learn with those who routinely have success at Daytona.

The performance certainly caused others to take notice.

“I thought Chase did an awesome job,” McMurray said. “It doesn’t matter who it is, at some point we all make a bad decision out there. I made a couple tonight. Was fortunate it didn’t cause a wreck. But that’s what happens at places like this.”

That Elliott’s first career Monster Energy Cup Series points victory could come Sunday in the Daytona 500 didn’t seem like a realistic scenario. Now, winning the race his NASCAR Hall of Fame father, Bill Elliott, won twice isn’t outlandish. Unlike last year, he backed up his pole-winning run with a strong effort in the duel.

“Oh, I definitely think we have a shot at it,” Chase Elliott said. “I mean, if I didn’t feel that way, like I always say, I’d stay home.”