Dear Chase –
Tough luck yesterday, young
man. It looked like you finally had the brass ring in your hand and were set to
become the only driver not named Jeff Gordon to drive a No. 24 car to Victory
Lane in a NASCAR Premier Series race.
As we all know, it didn’t quite
work out that way.
Kyle Busch stole the lead away
within sight of the white flag, driving off into the sunset with his fourth win
of the 2017 season and his second in as many weeks. It happens. Believe me, it
happens.
Was there anything you could
have done to stop it? In hindsight, sure there was. You could have chosen a
slightly different path through lapped traffic in the final laps. You could have
blocked the living bejeezus out of Busch with two to go, or had your boys shave
a couple of tenths off every pit stop along the way.
But none of that really matters.
You did the best you could, making what seemed to be the smartest decisions you
could at the time, then living with the consequences. That’s what racing is.
That’s what racers do.
And now, it’s time for another
important decision. How do you handle what happened yesterday in the First State?
 |
| "Like watching a man perform his own autopsy." |
In recent years, we have all witnessed
your propensity for “going hard on yourself” in the aftermath of bad days. Or
even good ones. We have seen you heap all the blame on your own diminutive
shoulders, criticizing your own performance to the point of microscopic
analysis.
At times, it has been like
watching a man perform his own autopsy, with his heart still beating. And with
all due respect, that’s something you cannot afford to do right now.
You see, Chase, there comes a
point where you can simply be too damned hard on yourself. Disappointment in the
aftermath of a day like yesterday is both normal and understandable. Self-mutilation
is not.
If there is something to be
learned from what happened Sunday at Dover – something different to be done or
a critical mistake to be corrected -- take that lesson and move on. Don’t dwell
on failure, lest you become enveloped in the negativity of it all. In a sport
where there is only one winner and 39 losers each week, it’s easy to get sucked
into a black hole of self-doubt.
 |
| Close, but no cigar. |
But your performance yesterday
at Dover was spectacular. It was admirable. And it was something to be proud
of.
Champions have an uncanny
ability to compartmentalize their emotions; avoiding the urge to fly too high
on good days, or dip too low on the bad ones. Set your altimeter on the far
horizon and chart a steady course. What’s done is done, and yesterday’s
disappointment can do you nothing but harm today.
You’re not the first driver to
have your heart ripped out at Dover, and you certainly won’t be the last. They
don’t call it “The Monster Mile” for nothing, you know.
Right now, we are just a few short days away from the Bank Of America 500
at Charlotte Motor Speedway, and you and your team are well-positioned to
advance to the all-important Round of Eight in the 2017 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup
Series Playoffs.
It’s time to get your chin up,
rally your team behind you and refuse to let yesterday’s failure become an
albatross around your neck.
You’re too good for that.
Without fanfare kyle will spend time with him on the qt and teach him as he has so many others, brand notwithstanding. For Kyle to have praised him as he did you know he respects Chase and his talent. Chase will win many many races and hopefully a Championship or two. He just has to gain a little more 'seasoning'. The surprising note is how far back the Hendricks teams came yesterday. Unfortunately Kyle wanted the brass ring more.
ReplyDeletePistonhead from Texas
Oh, Godfather.... you speak such truth. Now let's hope the boy hears you.....
ReplyDeleteI have seen several people use the term "Stole" I, typically use that term for things like fuel mileage or other strategy decisions where a decidedly slower car wins. Kyle Busch flat out won it from him, fair and square. Out hustled him thru traffic the last 10 laps. I do agree Chase is way too hard on himself though.
ReplyDeleteGood advice and very nicely done!
ReplyDeleteAm I the only one who wanted to jump through the TV and punch Ryan Newman. I know Jeff was awfully upset.
ReplyDeleteYou learn from your mistakes and if you are really lucky you learn from others.
ReplyDeleteI've been a Chase fan for years & I will continue to be for a long time. I hope he sees that it was just not his time, but it's coming.
ReplyDeletewell said Moody
ReplyDeleteChase is hard on himself but i believe it allows him to squeeze every ounce of use out of his new experiences in MENCS and seasons him faster than a normal man
Great spoken words Dave to a very talented driver that beats himself up way to much, the experience he is gaining will benefit him in the very new future I'm sure of it !
ReplyDeleteI'm a Chase fan and a KB fan. I'd encourage Chase to watch the video of what Newman (Jerry Seinfeld pronunciation) did to Larson a few years back. I remember a resounding chorus for a week of "he did what he had to do" and "that's racin." I personally don't agree with that but it's clearly acceptable. Neither Chase or Kyle Larson want to race that way. They've both said as much. I'd say it all depends on who is in your way. In the case of Newman, "boys have at it" is the only green light you need to feel good about it and sleep like a baby right next to that trophy.
ReplyDeleteThanks for your heartfelt words Dave. Once again your words of wisdom and perspective are spot on for the situation. Hopefully Chase will take them to heart and use them to gain something positive from this and not let the negativity that flows so freely from others tear him down.
ReplyDeleteIt's easy for those who watch to tell it the way they saw it. Being in that car doing what he's doing is I believe what Chase was born to do. He has learned how to lose, now he will learn how to win. I am proud of Chase Elliott, and proud of those past champions who have shown him respect. He's earning it.
ReplyDeleteAs always perfectly written. Chase is too hard on himself. Hopefully he will feel a bit better after reading this. Thanks Dave!
ReplyDeleteChase operates under the shadow of his father, just as Junior has. This shadow is huge and more often than not, impossible to escape
ReplyDeleteWell said Dave!
ReplyDeleteA beautifully well written letter that expresses how well Chase did on Sunday even though he didn't get the win. Mr. Moody.....you told it like it is and I hope Chase Will keep his chin up, dust himself off and hit that track at Charlotte Motor Speedway this weekend with a good mind and SPEED to show everybody that he STILL GOT IT!!!����
ReplyDeleteI was cheering for Chase to win that race. I can only imagine his feelings when he saw Kyle in his mirror. It's a lesson learned that will only make him a better competitor.
ReplyDeleteIt's possible he could have picked a different line or timed his passes through traffic to yield a different result. But it's also possible that his car just couldn't sustain the speed over the long run. I do give Chase credit for not throwing a wild block when Kyle got up to his door- he earned just as much respect with how he 'lost' the race as how he could have won it.
I don't, however, understand the big hubbub of what happened between Jeff Gordon and Ryan Newman after the race. Unless NBC botched the coverage or I blinked for a very long time- I don't remember Chase ever being close enough to Ryan where Ryan threw a wild block or made his car 'three wide'- essentially robbing Chase of any forward momentum. Was Ryan racing the same line? Sure. Was Ryan trying to stay in front of any car that he could in an effort to remain in the playoffs? You bet. What is wrong with actually 'racing' an entire race? As much as I want to see Chase win- I didn't see where Ryan did anything wrong.
I'm shocked to have read more than one article debating whether Jeff Gordon or Ryan Newman was in the wrong with their post-race war of words. Tempers flare. There is more than pride, money, or trophies at stake...I get it. Things are said that sometimes people wish they could take back. But for Jeff to have the notion at anytime where he expected Ryan to check up and hand his position over to Chase so he could win a race is preposterous. And the fact that many commentators and people close to the sport agree that neither Ryan or Jeff did anything wrong is nuts. There is no debate needed. Jeff was wrong and Ryan called him out on it. I can't be the only one that thinks so.
I was cheering for Chase to win that race. I can only imagine his feelings when he saw Kyle in his mirror. It's a lesson learned that will only make him a better competitor.
ReplyDeleteIt's possible he could have picked a different line or timed his passes through traffic to yield a different result. But it's also possible that his car just couldn't sustain the speed over the long run. I do give Chase credit for not throwing a wild block when Kyle got up to his door- he earned just as much respect with how he 'lost' the race as how he could have won it.
I don't, however, understand the big hubbub of what happened between Jeff Gordon and Ryan Newman after the race. Unless NBC botched the coverage or I blinked for a very long time- I don't remember Chase ever being close enough to Ryan where Ryan threw a strong block or made his car 'three wide'- essentially robbing Chase of any forward momentum. Was Ryan racing the same line? Sure. Was Ryan trying to stay in front of any car that he could in an effort to remain in the playoffs? You bet. What is wrong with actually 'racing' an entire race? As much as I want to see Chase win- I didn't see where Ryan did anything wrong.
I'm shocked to have read more than one article debating whether Jeff Gordon or Ryan Newman was in the wrong with the comments after the race. Tempers flare. There is more than pride, money, or trophies at stake...I get it. Things are said that sometimes people wish they could take back. But for Jeff to have the notion at anytime where he expected Ryan to check up and hand his position over to Chase so he could win a race is preposterous. There is no debate needed. Jeff was wrong and Ryan called him out on it. I can't be the only one that thinks so.
Well said
ReplyDeleteThe thing I'm most tiered about is Chases' pit crew! The young man comes in for tires and fuel and looses anywhere from 1 to 4 places constantly and consistently! PLEASE get this young man a pit crew that can help him win races instead of help him loose them.
ReplyDelete