It had been an extended six weeks of sitting on the sofa beneath the air conditioner for Chase Elliott earlier than his return to the NOCO 400 at Martinsville Speedway in mid-April. The NASCAR Cup Series hottest driver sustained a damaged left leg throughout a snowboarding accident in early March and had simply been methodically constructing himself again as much as a return.
Many anticipated Elliott to have a tough time on the course with the breaking the course requires and the stress that may place on the repaired leg. But he confirmed no rust, ending tenth after beginning the race within the twenty fourth place. He adopted that up with a 14th place end on the GEICO 500 this previous weekend in Talladega. They’ve been nice momentum builders because the Hendrick Motorsports driver appears to be like to proceed bettering heading into the summer time months.
While he nonetheless has some work left to do in rising the power and vary of movement within the leg, Elliott is grateful to be again competing. Recently being added to NASCAR’s 75 Greatest Drivers listing, he shared his ideas for getting again on the monitor with M&F.
1. Focus On What You Can Control
I’m a reasonably lifelike individual. I knew I used to be harm earlier than I even obtained the X-rays. I had a reasonably good feeling I wasn’t racing that weekend. I had by no means harm myself or needed to have surgical procedure in my life. It was uncharted territory for me however the way in which I checked out it was that I couldn’t do something about it as soon as it occurred and when you get the fact of what the damage is, how lengthy surgical procedure goes to be, and what the restoration goes to appear to be, I simply actually began listening to the medical doctors and placing in as a lot effort and work in on my finish to verify I stayed on schedule. I believe I’m in all probability just a few weeks out of being utterly cellular and again to regular because it pertains to flexibility and athletic motion — actually getting round and constructing power again in my leg and knee. It’s in a very good place and I’ve been proud of that. I’m simply working by means of it.
My precedence was getting again within the automobile and simply getting again to work from that standpoint. It was additionally about getting in place from a mobility and a bone-healing standpoint. I can’t actually do a lot about that half, however I can actually work exhausting at constructing a few of that muscle again that was dormant for a month or so. But my foremost precedence was getting again within the automobile and with the ability to carry out as I really feel l usually would. I used to be capable of get again within the automobile [in Martinsville] and that was nice. I believe I’ve extra power to construct again, and my mobility and vary of movement are going to proceed to be labored on.
2. Putting the Leg To The Test
I might say most common vehicles that folks drive and use the throttle and the break with their proper foot whereas the left foot doesn’t do a complete lot. For me, driving within the race automobile, I brake with my left foot and I’m utilizing that foot for the break and the clutch. Granted, we don’t use the clutch very a lot — primarily simply to brake — however there’s plenty of brake stress like in Martinsville. I knew again when the damage occurred, how the schedule lined up, I might return someplace round Martinsville or Talladega and the physician wasn’t going to let me go till then. I went to the simulator and simply tried to place myself in these conditions of placing stress on the brakes and going it constantly, repeating lap occasions, and repeating that for an extended time frame. All these issues factored into getting the go-ahead to run final weekend.
3. Bracing for the Summer
While leg power is necessary, extra necessary, is the atmosphere you race in. From a warmth standpoint, it’s very heat within the automobile and your coronary heart price may be very excessive particularly should you’re in a compromised place otherwise you’re pushing very exhausting. You nonetheless don’t have plenty of bodily motion and that’s often one thing you don’t see in plenty of sports activities or while you’re within the fitness center. If your coronary heart price is up, you often have plenty of movement, so it’s a singular factor for us. Being snug in these environments once more was massive as a result of it’s exhausting to coach for that, particularly while you’ve been sitting on the sofa for weeks within the AC. It was good to get again within the swing go issues and get hit within the face. I believe getting again used to that’s big as we get into the summer time months.
4. Still Some Work Left To Do
The bodily remedy side has been constant since I’ve gotten harm. With my damage, the quad has a very exhausting time firing. Within the primary couple of weeks, I misplaced plenty of muscle mass within the quad as a result of I couldn’t flex it. It’s been plenty of quad-strengthening exercises, plenty of leg raises, and knee extensions. The second half is getting the mobility and the vary of movement again within the knee — on the bending facet and the straightening facet has been exhausting for me. Typically, on a wholesome leg, your knee extends previous zero. You straighten it out and it will get all the way in which to zero and also you get on the unfavourable facet while you’re standing together with your knees locked.
Getting that extension again was an enormous piece of the puzzle and I’m nonetheless engaged on getting that full vary again and preserving it free. Quad power and vary of movement have been the 2 key factors of focus since I’ve gotten out of surgical procedure and that appears to get higher week by week. There had been massive steps being made by means of weeks 4, 5, and 6 mark. Now, we’re attending to these finer particulars on the backend, simply making an attempt to get that final little bit. Now that I’m at a spot the place I can drive once more, I can hold engaged on the opposite issues as we go alongside to attempt to get again to one hundred pc from an athletic standpoint.
5. A Little Support Goes A Long Way
The followers have been extraordinarily supportive of me by means of this era and I’m grateful for his or her help as we proceed to work by means of it. With my friends and different drivers reaching out, providing their help, and catching up was actually cool as a result of they don’t have to try this. I believed that claims loads concerning the atmosphere we race in and that my opponents have sufficient respect to say one thing has been very significant. To my crew on the No. 9 group to my teammates at Hendrick Motorsports on the store and the monitor, it’s been plenty of nice help, and individuals are genuinely joyful to have me again. It actually meant loads.
You can tune in to FS1 at 2 p.m. ET this Sunday, Apr. 30 to see Chase compete on the NASCAR Cup Series “Würth 400” from Dover Motor Speedway.