Chase Elliott opens up about making change at spotter: ‘Now was the right time’

Not a lot changed for Chase Elliott between this season and last, but he did make a change in the spotter’s stand. No longer will Eddie D’Hondt be the one in Elliott’s ear. This NASCAR season it is the driver’s cousin, Trey Poole.

Poole was the secondary spotter for Chase Elliott in the last few years. He’s worked his way up in the industry and is now set to take on a championship-caliber job. Hendrick Motorsports expects nothing but excellence.

Elliott had a say in the decision, but said it was ultimately up to Hendrick and the team as a whole.

“It was a group effort,” Elliott said to Bob Pockrass of Fox Sports during production days. “We just got to a point where we felt like if we were going to make a change, now was the right time to do it.

“And, look, Ed’s been a great teammate, I love Ed. We still have a good relationship even today. He’s been a huge part of our team for a long time. I don’t want that to get lost in translation. I think a lot of him as a person, and he’s done a lot for me.”

And what can Chase Elliott fans expect from Poole as a spotter?

“Trey is a very straightforward individual,” Elliott said. “And I think he has his eyes set on the right things, and ultimately, just performance, low drama, not a lot of ego — all of those qualities I really enjoy in a spotter.

“Ed was also low drama and does not have an ego, too. So in a lot of ways, very similar to what we’ve had. But just enough of a change that we wanted to try and kind of see how it goes.”