NASCAR Cup Series star Chase Elliott has opened up on how his opportunity to run in the Truck Series this weekend came about.
Elliott is set to pilot the No. 7 Chevrolet in Saturday's Faith Fest 250, drafted in as a late replacement last week by Spire Motorsports.
The late Kyle Busch had been intended to run in that truck in North Carolina this weekend, but his tragic passing in May left the team needing to find another driver.
The race will be Elliott's first Truck Series outing since 2023 and just his 19th overall in the series.
READ MORE: NASCAR Qualifying Today: North Wilkesboro start times, schedule, TV channel and live stream
Chase Elliott on how Truck Series opportunity came about
Speaking to the media ahead of the action at North Wilkesboro this weekend, Elliott opened up on the opportunity, how he was feeling about it, and how it all came about.
“Yeah, excited," explained Elliott. "I mean, it’s one of those opportunities where I wish I wasn't considering the circumstances.
"But when Jeff [Dickerson, Spire Motorsports co-owner] reached out to me, I don't know, a few weeks ago about it, he just said, 'Hey, would you have any interest in doing this? Kyle [Busch] was intended to run this race.'
"And I said, 'Yeah, I'd be honored to run it, and I would love to do it. If I can help, let me know.'
"And he said, okay, we’ll do it… done. So that was really about it. It was a short exchange.
"I don’t get asked a lot to do that stuff, so I appreciated him thinking of me and being willing to let me come drive their stuff.”
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