In a Thursday interview on SiriusXM Satellite Radio’s NASCAR channel, Hendrick Motorsports general manager Doug Duchardt said the team planned to field a car for Chase Elliott in a handful of Sprint Cup races next season under the guidance of Kenny Francis (who was promoted Wednesday from crew chief of the #5 to vehicle technical director by Hendrick). Duchardt didn’t speculate further on the future for Elliott. The 18-year-old son of NASCAR Hall of Famer Bill Elliott will run the rebranded Xfinity Series next year for JRM. ‘We’ll see what the right steps are for the future, but right now, we’re just going to take 2015 and take a look at how things are progressing,’ Duchardt said. ‘It’s like having a prospect in Triple A batting .380 and when’s he going to come up to the club. I get it. But we’ll work on that and see where that all heads. Right now, he’ll run the NAPA Camaro in ’15, and we’ll run some Cup races and see where that leads us. I understand it’s part of the fun and speculation of what could or should be done. I completely understand it. We’re going to try to make sure we put him in the best position to be successful when he does come here full time.’
Hendrick also has signed Jimmie Johnson through next season. At a Thursday event to announce more than $500,000 in education grants from his foundation, the six-time series champion indicated he hoped to have an extension soon and said he had been unaware of Kahne’s deal. ‘That’s good news for Kasey,’ he said. Asked if Elliott was in line for his #48, Johnson said with a laugh, ‘No. I think there’s maybe somebody else in line to retire before I do.’(USA Today)(11-21-2014)
