Staying Steady in the Spotlight with Eric Church and Chase Elliott: Ep 10
Highlights from the episode:
Why stepping back from the spotlight can help performers stay grounded
The unexpected link between stage presence and race day focus
How Eric and Chase use creativity to protect their peace
What happens when your passion becomes your profession
Why solitude might be the secret weapon behind the scenes
Podcast show notes:
You may know Eric Church as a country music icon and Chase Elliott as a NASCAR champion, but what happens when two high performers sit down to talk, not about the spotlight, but about what keeps them steady behind the scenes?
Because rising to the top is one thing. Staying there? That takes a different kind of strength: the habits, the anchors, the quiet choices no one sees.
In this episode, I revisit one of my favorite conversations, which was originally recorded during my Lunch with Lindsay podcast series in partnership with FamilyMade. I joined Chase Elliott and Eric Church at Eric’s writer’s cabin for a special conversation.
Eric and Chase may seem like an unlikely pair, but sit with them long enough, and you’ll see the parallels run deep. Both have built careers in high-pressure arenas. Both have learned to tune out the noise. And both know the challenge of staying grounded when the stakes are sky high.
Chase and Eric open up about the moments that changed them, the pressures of being seen, and the quieter choices that shaped their careers. From Chase’s early days trying to outrun expectations to Eric’s defiant decision to tour solo after getting kicked off the Rascal Flatts stage, this episode is a deep dive into identity, legacy, and the kind of grit that can’t be taught.
What You’ll Discover:
Eric’s surprising creative outlet: chainsaw therapy (03:28)
Why Chase prioritizes fun off the track (06:45)
Eric’s career-defining decision to go solo (14:09)
Chase on separating passion from pressure (18:44)
Why Eric stopped chasing charts, and found peace (20:23)
The power of real connection in high-profile lives (31:49)
The way both industries are changing over time (50:26)
If you’ve ever wondered what it really takes to stay steady in the spotlight, this one’s for you. Be sure to stay tuned for the special surprises Eric and Chase have for each other at the end of the episode.
Connect with Eric Church and Chase Elliott
For more from Eric Church, you can follow him on Instagram.
And for more from Chase Elliott, you can follow him on Instagram.
Be sure to subscribe to Things No One Tells You—Lindsay’s podcast all about the real, unfiltered conversations we don’t always have but should. From big names to everyday voices, each episode dives into the moments that shape us. Listen wherever you get your podcasts!
Follow along with Lindsay below!
Full Transcript
[00:00:00] Eric: I used to cut trees down. That was my…
[00:00:04] Lindsay: With chainsaws?
[00:00:05] Eric: With chainsaws. That was my escape. And I don't do that anymore, but I did it for a long time because there's so much focus that goes into it, and at that time, that would've been the chief era. So I had a lot of noise, a lot of stuff, going on.
[00:00:17] It was a way to come out here, and if you're not focused on a 30, 40, 50-foot oak where it's gonna fall, if that's not something that's got your attention, it can kill you. And there was something so micro about it. It was a way for me to escape what was going on in the world, so I could get a chainsaw and I could go cut the tree and then process the tree, and it just got me away from that.
[00:00:42] So whether it's snowboard or snowmobile, or you have to have that pressure valve that you can release that steam, when you do something that's exceptional. And if you do exceptional stuff, you have to have something like that to retreat to.
[00:01:00] Lindsay: Hey everybody, I'm Lindsay Czarniak, and this is Things No One Tells You.
[00:01:04] This is a podcast about the behind-the-scenes moments that shape who we are, those things that are also really relatable and really connect us. So each week I'm gonna talk with Newsmakers Trailblazers in the worlds of sports, entertainment, all things, but also everyday folks, people who are talking about the real stuff that no one tends to share.
[00:01:24] Follow me at Lindsay Czarniak and be sure to subscribe, rate, and review things no one tells you wherever you like to listen. Hey guys, it's Lindsay of Things No One Tells You, and I am so excited to share this podcast episode with you because this episode is actually one from my previous podcast, Lunch with Lindsay.
[00:01:44] But I love it so much because both of these guys are just such awesome guys, but superstars in their own right. And I really think this falls in the bucket of things no one tells you about the drive it takes to make it, sticking to what makes you unique along the way, and the importance of that. So this is my episode with Country Music Star Eric Church and NASCAR Driver Superstar, Chase Elliot of Elliot Royalty in NASCAR.
[00:02:13] Here's how this one happened. So I have been a fan of Eric Church and his country music for a very long time. But somewhere along the way, a few years ago, Chase Elliot, the NASCAR driver, I was covering him when I was working on a series, A racing series, and I was just asking Chase who his favorite musician was and what he listened to, and he said, Oh, Eric Church.
[00:02:33] And at that moment, it's like years ago. I filed it away in my brain, and I was like, oh, if I could ever get those two together, that would be so amazing. So anyway, long story short, I asked Eric about it last year, and Eric said, You know what? I would love to do that. This would be really cool. It would be really cool to riff off him and just see what his life is like and vice versa.
[00:02:53] So what I did not expect to happen was for Eric to invite us to his writer's cabin in Tennessee, outside Nashville. And Chase was like, yes, I will come, I will be there. I would love to have this conversation. It was so cool because Chase actually flew down there, on his plane with his dad, Bill Elliott, who's one of the most famous NASCAR drivers of all time.
[00:03:15] And they all come into this cabin. And I was this is just so surreal, but what also made it crazy, surreal, and I have to share this with you out of the gate, so you know what's going on. Both of them, literally within the months just before we were sitting down, suffered serious injuries.
[00:03:33] Soitt was a big deal for both of them. Eric had a broken shoulder and it was, and it happened in a snowmobile accident and Chase had another situation with his knee, and that was a unique scenario that he can tell you about because it was another winter sport. But, so here we are having this conversation.
[00:03:52] Both of them are hobbling i,n and anyway, it just became such, connector for me about what the themes are in sports and music and hearing these guys share their mutual admiration and share insights behind what it takes. I just thought, wow, this is as behind-the-scenes as it gets. So I hope you love this one as much as I do.
[00:04:14] Eric Church and Chase Elliot.
[00:04:19] Lindsay: Hello.
[00:04:19] Chase: What's happening? How are you? You hurt yourself, too. Winter sports. I understand. Not the way to go. Who knew?
[00:04:26] Lindsay: Right? It's good to see you. Great to see you. Thank you so much
[00:04:28] Eric: to meet you.
[00:04:29] Lindsay: Welcome. This is so beautiful.
[00:04:31] Eric: Oh yeah. I'm glad we could do it. Mr. Bill, good to see you. Good to see you.
[00:04:35] Chase: How are you?
[00:04:35] Eric: How's your leg?
[00:04:37] Chase: I look better than you, I think, with Dawn. You absolutely do. Yeah. So is it this one left one? Yeah, up top. Right at the knee. It was basically a knee injury more than it was a snowmobile. Snowboard.
[00:04:50] Lindsay: It is quite ironic, isn't it? It
[00:04:52] Eric: It won. Yeah. Well, I'm one too. Yeah, I'd have more horsepower, but one, two, so well welcome.
[00:04:59] I understand. Thanks for having us.
[00:05:00] Lindsay: This is great. I know this cabin, this is your baby. This is like your
[00:05:03] Eric: I'm here a lot. Yeah, right here. Fish here. Some good fishing out here.
[00:05:08] Lindsay: Awesome.
[00:05:09] Eric: Yeah.
[00:05:10] Lindsay: Wait, I was so excited to sit with both of you because I think Chase, a while back, you had told me that Eric was easily one of your favorites.
[00:05:18] Right. And so this has been a long time coming. I've listened to your music for so long. I feel like the first time. I heard your music was back when someone handed me a CD in like 2006 and was like, lemme know what you think of this guy. Right?
[00:05:31] And to see this come together is awesome. But the circumstances surrounding both of you are, I mean, how ironic, right?
[00:05:39] We've got a broken shoulder. A broken leg, knee?
[00:05:43] Chase: or whatever you wanna call it. He started it. Yes. I started. He started it.
[00:05:46] Lindsay: Right?
[00:05:47] Chase: He started it. Started it.
[00:05:49] Lindsay: What the heck happened? What happened?
[00:05:51] Chase: Yeah. Just, I guess playing around where I shouldn't have been playing around, I guess not just, yeah, for me it was snowboarding, so I think both snow-related, but the snow won, I think in both accounts.
[00:06:05] Eric: For me, snowmobile and for me. But yeah,
[00:06:07] Lindsay: I mean, what, I mean, can you guys talk a little bit just about what happened, if you don't, just sharing the experiences a little.
[00:06:13] Eric: Let me go first. Chase,
[00:06:14] Lindsay: Either way.
[00:06:15] Eric: Yeah. His story's better. But I mean, for me, we were in Utah and we, so every year during spring break, my whole family skis and we pick a spot and we change every year and we'll go.
[00:06:30] Last year was Telluride, the year before was Jackson Hole. So we go to a different place every year. And this year was Deer Valley, and we had skied for five or six days, and it was glorious. It was great, the snow. And so I decided, and I kind of pushed my wife on it, but I said, let's go snowmobiling.
[00:06:45] Let's do something different. We skied for so many days, let's go do it. And they've had so much snow out there, at least for me. I hadn't been on a lot of snowmobiles either, but I caught an edge. And, the scariest part is I had my 8-year-old with me, my youngest, and he crashed with me.
[00:07:03] So we were more concerned about him. And, luckily, he's okay, but I broke my. Broke my shoulder pretty good. So, that's my thing. I heal up. He heals. So lucky, I don't need my arms to do what I do.
[00:07:17] Lindsay: Right. Not a little bit. Right. So when that happened to you, though, was that what was going through your mind?
[00:07:23] Eric: Him the whole time for me, I mean, I carried, ended up carrying him.
[00:07:27] We were, we were 10 miles from where we started and with no cell phone service. Oh my God. So he hit his head pretty good. He had a helmet on, but he hit his head pretty good. So we were concerned about a concussion and ended up calling paramedics. We ended up getting service by calling paramedics. And so I ended up carrying him on my shoulder.
[00:07:43] I had his helmet. The reason I remember is that his helmet was in my right hand, and he ended up carrying him four or 500 yards to get him back to where he could be evaluated. And I never felt my shoulder at all. It was a couple, three hours later that it started to be a problem.
[00:07:57] Lindsay: The adrenaline. Yeah, the adrenaline is kicking in.
[00:07:59] Chase: Yep. And then you, I, my story's not nearly that good or long. I was just out, I was just snowboarding with a friend of mine. Grew up snowboarding in a very familiar place that I had been going to for a long time, and just kind of caught that perfect storm and landed on my knee wrong. And unfortunately, it wa, was that day it was gonna give out, so just, yeah, fractured in a couple different places.
[00:08:25] But actually, all things considered,e, it was not as bad as I think it could have been. So I think we're on the back end of it, so it should be good. Did
[00:08:33] Lindsay: You knew right away that it was bad?
[00:08:36] Chase: I had a pretty good feeling. At the time I was, I was just kind of towards the end of the trip, getting ready to head to the next race.
[00:08:46] So I had a pretty good feeling. It was, rt. I've never really had any serious injury before this, so this was kind of my first, my first one, and I had a pretty good idea. I was gonna be in trouble, so.
[00:09:00] Lindsay: Well, and for both of you really, but for you being in the midst of what you're doing, chase, was it like, were you, what is that?
[00:09:06] Like? How does that process your mind?
[00:09:10] Chase: Yeah, I mean, I, again, I, didn't feel like I was being irresponsible or doing anything that I wouldn't do any other day. But it was just one of those situations where, yeah, the timing was bad, and it was that perfect storm. And, at that point in time, I knew that it didn't feel good, but obviously hadn't been to the hospital yet.
[00:09:32] I had a pretty good idea before I got there that I probably wasn't headed to Vegas, in a couple of hours. So, yeah, unfortunately, I was right on that.
[00:09:39] Lindsay: Was there a phone call that was hard, like that you were kind of nervous about making in that circumstance?
[00:09:43] Chase: Yeah, there, there was a, there were a few phone calls I was nervous about making, but honestly, everybody was really cool.
[00:09:50] I feel like, probably way cooler than I was expecting them to be about it. And, totally understood, and I feel like I understood, why I was there and why I was doing what I was doing. And, the fact that I've been snowboarding for a long time, and that's not something super uncommon, I guess.
[00:10:08] So yeah, I guess them knowing that about me, they trust my judgment a little bit, and going out and having a good time.
[00:10:16] Lindsay: Well, also it's part of the conversation, I mean, there have been articles, like Ryan McGee had a great article about it. Yeah. People do what they do, and you've gotta let them do what they do sometimes, especially when I think Kevin Harvick was quoted on, it's talking about how what we do is such a lifestyle.
[00:10:30] It's so hard that you've gotta get your outlet somehow, which is probably similar, but maybe for you, I'm not.,
[00:10:36] Eric: Yeah. When I first bought this property out here, I used to cut trees down. That was my…
[00:10:43] Lindsay: With chainsaws.
[00:10:44] Eric: With chainsaws. That was my escape. And, I don't do that anymore, but I did it for a long time because there's so much focus that goes into it, and at that time, that would've been the chief era.
[00:10:54] So I had a lot of noise, a lot of stuff, going on. It was a way to come out here, and if you're not focused on a 30, 40, 50-foot oak where it's gonna fall, if that's not something that's got your attention, it can kill you. And there was something so micro about that. It was a way for me to escape what was going on in the world, so I could get a chainsaw and I could go cut the tree and then process the tree, and it just got me away from that.
[00:11:21] And that's not something I would recommend. I don't do it anymore. But at that time, it was very important to me. It was something that mattered to me. So whether it's's snowboard or a snowmobile, or you have to have that pressure valve that you can release that steam, when you do something that's exceptional.
[00:11:40] And if you do exceptional stuff, you have to have something like that to retreat to.
[00:11:44] Lindsay: So you think that's something that comes with a certain level of, I, I
[00:11:48] Eric: dDo Yeah, I do. Because
[00:11:50] Lindsay: That's what's required.
[00:11:51] Eric: That’s tight. There's a focus, and when you're operating at a certain level, whether it's an elite athlete or it's a musician or whatever, you do have to have some way to release what that builds up, in my opinion.
[00:12:03] Chase: I agree personally, I mean, I think there's, and I think a lot of people see just on the stage, right? Or just on the track, but there's a lot of stuff that goes on off the stage or off the track. Yeah. And obligations. And probably, I would even argue maybe more so balancing all of that stuff more than, yeah.
[00:12:21] The actual job itself. I think that balancing act is really important, and I agree. You need, you gotta have ways to go enjoy yourself, because it can very easily become unenjoyable very fast if you get tied up in the wrong aspect of it.
[00:12:37] Lindsay: How do you do that? How do you, because there's a lot of compartmentalizing, right?
[00:12:41] That time. Like, how, I mean, how do both of you do what you do and make it work?
[00:12:49] Chase: I think that's a very tough question. I think for me, I think, I was, dad taught me at a very young age to take this very seriously. That there's a lot that's going into this. It's not a joke.
[00:13:05] Right. And, I think I've always carried that with me over the years. And I take my job very seriously. I don't go to the racetrack and mess around. I don't go and do a lot of things that I probably could do. Just because I don't take for granted the opportunity that I have in front of me to go and make a living the way I do.
[00:13:25] It's just not something that's given every day. And I don't want to ever, I don't want, I don't wanna ever disrespect that or feel like I'm disrespecting it. So, for that reason, I just always take the job very seriously, and I probably always will just because that's how I've always been.
[00:13:42] and I think to compete. It's probably, I mean, I've never played on stage, but I would imagine there's a, there's some similarities and probably some differences in that. But for me, I think just that competition aspect of it is always what brings me back. And it's just something I take very seriously, that's kind of been the big one for me.
[00:14:01] Lindsay: Like the fuel, you mean? Yeah. That's the fuel that drives you.
[00:14:04] Eric: And Lindsay, I would say that you realize at some point in time in your career that there are so many people that don't get the opportunity that you're currently getting. And whether it's racing or whether it's not, the number of people that get off a bus today in Nashville with a guitar that are good is high.
[00:14:24] So you realize at some point in time that you get to do this. And if you don't treat it with w certain amount of respect, Chase said it's really good right there with, you think about the people that came before you. You think about putting something up on that mantle, musically or racing-wise, that other people will look at and measure themselves against.
[00:14:46] And I think that if you have that respect for your craft and for the people that came before you, you treat it that way.
[00:14:53] Lindsay: I love that because it is its sort of, for a long time I've thought NASCAR drivers, you guys are a tick off. And I mean that so respectfully in a great way. Meaning to do what you do, right?
[00:15:05] You want to do what you do. It is highly risky. It's highly, it's, exciting. It's all the things. But I guess there, yeah, there's an interesting parallel in that and I think it's sort, it's kind of like greatness, but you're right. Thinking about those people that you just talked about with guitars getting off the buses, like they're the difference, right?
[00:15:25] What's the difference? But so I just think it's interesting.
[00:15:28] Eric: Well, first of all, you had to be committed to the moment. I mean, he's operating at, near 200 miles an hour. We're 50,000 people with a guitar in our hands. If you're not committed to that moment, you're not going to meet that moment.
[00:15:44] And I think a lot of, not only is, NBAs, everything's the same. You have to meet at the moment. And I think that, understanding that and being able to do that, and how you build your craft, too. I mean, Chase didn't walk out and just jump in a cup car and start, they call it Cup Cars anymore. That's the old days.
[00:16:01] Yeah. Yeah. So jup, in a cup car and do it. It took a process. Right. I didn't just jump, and I didn't just go play the Super Bowl. Right. You gotta start along the way. And I think that building your craft and, cultivating that is, and being confident in that is what makes that, what makes it work.
[00:16:19] Lindsay: I was thinking about the journeys that both of you have had. Cause I think there are a lot of circumstances that are similar time-wise for you guys. Like I was talking to Chase about. 2011, that's when, chief, right? That was the time of the chief.
[00:16:34] And that was when we were talking about it, that you had an accolade in Sports Illustrated being a high school athlete to watch.
[00:16:42] Right. So that's funny. In 2020, you won your championship. Eric wins. CMA entertainer of the year. Right? Yeah. It's interesting to note that the parallel.l
[00:16:51] Eric: What a year to win. Yeah. Nobody saw it. I know the feeling.
[00:16:56] Chase: I know the feeling. No banquet. No, no, nothing. No nothing. Yeah. Just here's the trophy. Go home.
[00:17:03] That's what it was. That's a hundred percent. That was normal at the time.
[00:17:07] Lindsay: Yeah. What was it like? Did it,
[00:17:10] Chase: That is what it was like. Yeah.
[00:17:11] Eric: That's why I want another one. He probably does too. For the same reason. It's I wanna do this the right way.
[00:17:17] Lindsay: So what's the connection? How did this connection start for you guys?
[00:17:21] Eric: We met, I mean, I think the first time we met, correct me if I'm wrong, but it was in a, it was in a meet and greet.
[00:17:25] Chase: It was, yeah. You know what city it was? I didn't even, yeah, I wasn't sure if you would remember that or not, but, yeah, it was, we were in Atlanta.
[00:17:33] We were somewhere like Gwinnett Arena or something like that. Yeah. It was Gwinnett, I think. Yep.
[00:17:37] Eric: Like
[00:17:37] Chase: Around 2014, 2015. Somewhere in that timeframe.
[00:17:41] Eric: So it would've been near outsiders been outsiders, Stuart, probably, yeah. I think
[00:17:45] Chase: It was. Yeah. So, yeah, I mean, I was, he didn't know me, and that was totally fine.
[00:17:49] I just wanted to go to his show. Right. Yeah. And he was the closest one down the road. And, honestly, I feel like this is the first time I've actually met you and we've ever had a conversation, so, right.
[00:18:02] I guess today, right now,
[00:18:04] Lindsay: But, so that was right after you had won the Xfinity Championship, right?
[00:18:08] Chase: It was, yeah. A short time after. Yep.
[00:18:10] Lindsay: That's really cool.
[00:18:11] Chase: Just a few weeks. Yeah. Okay.
[00:18:12] Lindsay: What was it about Eric's music that has touched you from the beginning?
[00:18:17] Chase: I mean, I think, that's a really tough thing to ask when the guy's sitting, right?
[00:18:20] Lindsay: Sorry. Is that weird? I know,
[00:18:22] Chase: But, I think for me, I was introduced to his music, I would say probably around 2008, 2009, somewhere in there.
[00:18:33] I have, I didn't grow up with siblings in the house, so a lot of my friends and cousins are all 5, 6, 7 years older than me. And, I think for that reason, it probably introduced me to some things that I don't know that I would've found, hanging out with my buddies at school. And for that reason, I think a lot of Eric's music was getting hot and getting to be known at that time.
[00:18:58] That was how I learned about him and started listening to his music, and from there, for me, it was when you start to travel up and down the road, you have a lot of time to think, and sometimes that's good, and sometimes that's bad. But that does give you a lot of time to listen to music and for whatever reason, his way to, and this is one thing I've admired about just musicians and artists in general, is to be able to, it always blows my mind when I go to a concert that people are singing words back to you that started in your head, how, that process works.
[00:19:32] And, you can put those thoughts on paper and turn them into a tune and into a melody. I think that's an incredible piece of music that probably doesn't get enough appreciation. And for whatever reason, his music always spoke to me the most. For, I guess the writing aspect of just, I don't know, just some words make more sense than others.
[00:19:52] And that was why I got into it.
[00:19:54] Eric: And Lindsay, there's a lot of correlation with, he talks about riding up and down the road. I mean, that's where a lot of these songs came from, that's where I came from. I mean, we both in some way travel to our next destination, whether it's a race or a show. So there's a lot of, I get the relation because there, there's a lot of those songs that if you listen, we live a similar lifestyle, and I, I think that, that's awesome to hear. I think the least awesome thing is when he starts talking about how young he was first. Yeah. Well, I didn't know if I should go there, but it's part of the story, right? It is. It's a piece of it. Yeah. I picked him up and signed his shirt.
[00:20:33] I held him for a little while. First concert. Yeah.
[00:20:36] Lindsay: But you're not that. Yeah. Not that I know.
[00:20:40] Chase: Close.
[00:20:40] Eric: But, anyways, it is a really, it's a really cool and neat thing to see something like that.
[00:20:48] Lindsay: Are you the guy who we'll play a song and then play it over and over? It's before switching to a different song.
[00:20:55] Chase: No. I feel if an album comes out, I'm, probably one who it's pretty apparent like which songs on the album everyone knows. I'm the one who wants to go listen to the ones that everyone doesn't know and try to find a piece in there that grows on you.
[00:21:15] Yeah. To me, music that grows on you over time is the same way. That's something about his music that I think is really cool. And there aren't a lot of artists like that, that if their music gets better, the more you listen to it, that's doing something. And in my opinion, I think a lot of times those songs that are in between the ones that you hear on the radio tell that story the best.
[00:21:37] Eric: They're all, they're, all, they're pretty good road markers to get you to the songs he's talking about, the first tour. The arena Tour that I ever did. So Chief comes out, so I came from bars, I came from clubs. And I've got these little small places, and I've got these people in front of me that I understand, and then Drink in My Hand comes out and Springsteen comes out, and all of a sudden I go from the people that I know to, I'm playing an arena and we've got 15,000 people. And I didn't know how to do that on that tour because what I thought was, they're all here to hear Drink in My Hand and Springsteen. So I would kind of coast to those songs, and what I learned is the show is about the songs between those songs, and what he's talking about.
[00:22:22] It's not about Drink in My Hand and Springsteen. It's about those other songs that tell the whole story. And it took me a tour to figure that out. My least favorite tour of my career was the Chief tour.
[00:22:35] Lindsay: And that, so.
[00:22:36] Eric: That was the biggest album we had, but I didn't know how to do it. Right. I came from bars and clubs, and I was trying, I was like, well, they're here to hear Springsteen or drink 'em.
[00:22:45] Whatever we had at the time, I'd never had hits. So I didn't know how to deal with it. And it was always like, okay,playy, here's smoke a little smoke drinking my hand Springsteen. That's how we ended up. So
[00:22:55] Lindsay: Even though you had hits, like top 20 hits, never.
[00:22:59] Eric: I never had dug a generational hit. And, I didn't deal with it very well. And, so what I learned...
[00:23:04] Lindsay: Because you felt like you weren't connecting, is that?
[00:23:06] Eric: I felt like the other songs were just songs for me. And they weren't people who were there. They were there to hear Drinking My Hands Springsteen. So to his point, it's those are really good markers.
[00:23:16] They're really good maps. But the real songs are the other ones. Like when you go to a Springsteen concert
[00:23:22] Lindsay: Yeah.
[00:23:23] Eric: You want to hear Born to Run or whatever. Yeah. But it's those other ones, it's the pacers, that take you through it that makes the show. And it took me a minute to learn that.
[00:23:32] Lindsay: How'd you learn it?
[00:23:34] Eric: I learned it from fire, going through the fire. I didn't, it wasn't something I called anybody. I learned it from not enjoying my first, I think it was a, I forget the name of the tour. I think it was Blood, Sweat, and Beer Store. But, it was during the chief album, so we went from here to the biggest artist in music, and not just country music.
[00:23:52] And I did not know how to handle it. And wow. I think it took me a second to realize that, hey, they like the other songs, too. They're not just here for that, those two songs. Safe to say. Yeah. I just didn't know where people came from. It's like all of a sudden you went from, I could fill this room up here, to you're feeling an arena.
[00:24:10] And I thought, what, where did these people come from?
[00:24:13] Lindsay: Especially, I mean, that's also kind of related,d like in a weird way, too. It's relatable to my industry. It's like you think you know who the people are that are watching you. Like when I'm doing SportsCenter, I know who that is. But when you're doing something else.
[00:24:24] Frankly, that's how I felt going from that to doing sideline reporting, 'cause I'm like, I don't know who... Right? It's when your norm feels shaken a little bit, then you don't, it's a weird feeling. I'm not comparing myself to you. No, I get what I'm saying, like it's yeah. Right. It's relatable on some level.
[00:24:41] So, well, how about you? So, starting out the way you did, you had your dad there as a significant guide. What have you had experiences like that where you got a
[00:24:51] Eric: Question. Can I ask a question? Oh, please. Was it hard with your dad? Was it hard, especially being younger? 'Cause I think about that, was it, the expectation part or the, I mean, right.
[00:25:03] That's natural.
[00:25:04] Chase: Yeah. Yeah. I mean, I think it's interesting you asked that because I was wondering today too, I'm like, obviously we're not the same age, but I knew you had a couple of younger boys. And I'm like, no, that's interesting because they might, they could potentially be in a similar position as me one day.
[00:25:18] Eric: That's correct.
[00:25:19] Chase: that I grew up in. So I was like, yeah, that's kind. That could kind of make sense, right? Or hit home a little bit. But for me, I think it was, I have felt like my parents and I, put Mom into that category too, 'cause I think she had a big role in, in obviously raising me, and going to the racetrack.
[00:25:40] I mean, Dad was doing a lot of racing, and a lot of times it was me and her going to the races, too. So, I think that she deserves a lot of credit, or no credit, I don't know whether you want to take credit or not, but nonetheless, she was involved. And, I feel like the way that they kind of brought me up and allowed me to live my life and to do the things that I want to do, it was always my choice.
[00:26:03] And, racing was always my choice. If I went home, whether I was 10, 15, 20, if I went home and said, Hey, Mom and Dad, I don't wanna do this anymore, it would've been totally fine. And, they always made that really apparent to me. And I think because of that, it. It kind of became my own path, at least in my eyes.
[00:26:23] and I'd never really looked at the expectations of Dad's career or things that he accomplished. I mean, of course, I want to get there. Yeah. Because I wanna go home and have a personal conversation about those things. Not because I care about what everybody else thinks, but yeah
[00:26:40] Like, on a personal level, I'd love to one-up him. Absolutely. I'd love to.
[00:26:43] Eric: What was the first thing when you jumped in a, was it a go-kart? Did you start liking go-karts? How old?
[00:26:51] Chase: I was about eight. So fairly young. I mean, obviously at that time, I mean, it's not, you're not seriously racing at eight, right?
[00:27:01] It was a hobby, and you were out having a good time. I wouldn't say things started to get really serious until I was 13, 14. I mean, still, that's a very young age, I feel like having to. Sure. Kind of recognize. The severity of what's going on. And what was the escalation?
[00:27:19] You went from go-karts to like, what was the first kind of full-size car?
[00:27:24] would've been like a, they're called late model cars. Yeah. So like an asphalt late model. We raced a bunch of that stuff. So, that was around, I guess, 13. I was 13 or 14. That was really when things got serious. I would say, up until that point, you could have gotten away with it being a hobby,y an, everything gotta make being fine.
[00:27:45] Eric: Did the Elliot name when you were in that situation, did that ever hinder you, help you, I mean, I'm assuming help you just 'cause I know your nature, but I mean, was it a thing like in some of those early ones, I'm trying to think if I, if you show up, right?
[00:28:00] And I know a lot of the reason when he said something about the kids, I totally get this, 'cause I know a lot of kids, whose parents were, did things, amazing things, and it's a different kind of deal. You have to find that within yourself, right? To go do that. Was that a, was it something that you dealt with or did you just kind of ha did you kind of skirt it?
[00:28:24] Chase: I had a thought, and I just, I lost it there, but I think in, in, in some ways, I think you probably skirt it, but in some ways, I think to your point, you have to have that desire on your own to want to go do it. And, there were obviously, I admired dad's career and always looked up to him, from the racing side, but also had other people I looked up to right within the industry as well.
[00:28:52] That kind of helped you set that mark of, I have a great role model here, but if I could take a little bit of this from this guy and a little bit of this from this guy and try to take some lessons from different people and apply them to the best of my ability. But I think for me, fortunately, even through those years as things got serious, and as things I was missing what was normal.
[00:29:14] Kids were doing on the weekends with their friends, I was off racing. At certain points in time, I might have been like, man, you're not, I wish I were doing this. But honestly, as time went on, I just, I, that fire and that desire to want to go and achieve that goal never went away, and that never burned out.
[00:29:35] And that to me was the most important piece of the whole puzzle, really.
[00:29:39] Lindsay: Do you remember like the first time that you felt that fire that you were like, oh, this is
[00:29:44] Chase: What, yeah. I mean, really, it's kind of all I've ever wanted to do. I mean, I remember going to the track as a little kid, and obviously at the time, in the early two thousands, NASCAR was rolling, and those are the years I remember right.
[00:30:02] Dad's career goes a lot further back than that. But those first two thousand years were the ones I was just barely old enough to remember. And, the way I looked at it as a kid was. If you weren't at the race that weekend, then you weren't living life like that. It was a sin for you not to be at the race that weekend.
[00:30:21] And, I had such a unique vantage point, my dad was a part of that show. And I think, for that reason, I was just in awe of what it was and just the spectacle that NASCAR events were. And, as I got older, I think I grew an appreciation for the craft and the little things that go into making a driver good versus great.
[00:30:44] But obviously, when you're a little kid, that first spark is just the spectacle that it was. And the fact that he was a part of the show, I just thought was the coolest thing ever.
[00:30:54] Lindsay: God, the, yeah, it's,
[00:30:56] Eric: Well, it's courageous too that you, actually, you do, you follow in those footsteps.
[00:31:02] You know the size of those footsteps, nd then you follow 'em. Hope my kids are doctors.
[00:31:06] Lindsay: I was gonna say, are they musically inclined? Do they like... Your kids? Are they,
[00:31:11] Eric: I mean, it's interesting. So they're musical.
[00:31:15] But, I try, not to sometimes I, I shudder when they, they'll sit, my oldest especially will sit at the piano and, figure some stuff out that I know he's, that's kinda gifted that he can do.
[00:31:31] And I'm going, please just be a doctor or a lawyer or something. But I get it. It's just you're trying to protect your kids, it's hard to generationally, it's exceptionally hard to be successful at a craft like that. There have been one or two in music. There's been one or two in racing.
[00:31:49] I mean, three. I mean, it's a very exceptional thing.
[00:31:52] Lindsay: Both of you. Chase and I were talking about fan bases a little bit because that's something that I think is a really interesting parallel. You have such a rabid fan base in the church choir, but you've grown it on your own, right? Would you say that's right?
[00:32:07] Yeah, that's right. That you've liked, really,yeahh, that's right. And Chase said to me because I was thinking about just the origin of it, and just earning what you guys have both accomplished, and Chase, you made a joke about inheriting your dad's fan base. And I understand why you're saying that, but the other thing is that's not how you become the most popular driver five times in a row.
[00:32:26] Right. And also, you said something to me last winter about how important that fan base is to you, like in a really genuine way. And I was like, this is, it's different, like you talking about it feels different. Yeah.
[00:32:38] Chase: I mean it, I definitely stepped into a very fortunate situation. I think. My upbringing was much different than my dad's upbringing, and I think my dad's upbringing was something that the fans could really tie to through the late eighties and through the nineties.
[00:32:54] They didn't come from much, they were extremely hardworking, and they went to the racetrack, and made it happen in a very unique and different way than the rest of the grain was going at the time. And I think that was a really easy thing to latch onto, for me, that wasn't the case.
[00:33:12] Right. I came up to your point, I definitely had some opportunities that I might not have had if I weren't Bill's son. But at the same time, I think the most important piece through that process is having respect for the people that are there before you at each step of the way, not just in NASCAR, but as I was coming along, racing short tracks and as I mentioned, when things started to get serious, you, you grow respect for those veteran guys who help shape you to be the race car driver that, that you are. And, I think having that respect can make you the driver's kid that I aspire to be, or not. And, I can't, I didn't choose that. Right. But you can certainly do what you have,
[00:34:03] Eric: Who are some of those guys?
[00:34:05] Chase: Like short track guys? Any guys? Any guys who
[00:34:08] Eric: Were guy? I mean, I'm just curious.
[00:34:09] Chase: Yeah. I mean, short track guys, I don't know, Bubba Pollard and Auggie Grill were, wo extremely Talented. I mean, we can talk about the NASCAR people, but these were like some of the first guys that I remember going to race at Pensacola, which is a track, down in Florida, that is really well known in the super late model world.
[00:34:32] They have a big race down there. You're probably the biggest super late model Race of the year is held down there. And we went.
[00:34:37] Lindsay: That was SRX was there last year. They, raced
[00:34:40] Chase: They were last year.
[00:34:41] Lindsay: So hot.
[00:34:41] Chase: But nice nonetheless. I just remember going down there and those guys just absolutely wearing me out, and I was young, but at the time, I got my feelings hurt really quickly.
[00:34:51] But at the same time, too, the more I raced with those guys and it took me a long time to get to where I could keep up with 'em, but once I could keep up with 'em, because I had that respect level for how long they had been there and how bad they had whipped my ass for the past two years, you race them with that type of respect that they deserve.
[00:35:11] And I think because of that, those are two friendships that I carry forward to this day. And, there are certainly guys like that on the NASCAR, in the NASCAR world, too, that I look up to and have always respected, and things like that. But I just think that respect factor, and you touched on it a minute ago, just with the
[00:35:33] coming along and making sure there, there are a lot of people that were here way before you, right? In whatever industry you're trying to jump into. And, I think there's something to be said for those men and women who have kind of helped pave the way,
[00:35:47] Eric: If you're into the craft, though, to kind of jump on the back of what Chase said there.
[00:35:51] If yoyouaa a craftsman, and you know the names he mentioned, there are a lot of NASCAR people who would've thought he would've mentioned four or five, six of her names. But I can say from my standpoint, I'm gonna talk about John Prine.
[00:36:04] I'm gonna talk about Leonard Cohen, or I'm gonna talk about Jerry, Jeff Walker, or Kris Kristofferson.
[00:36:09] And there are a lot of people out there that would go, who, who is that? Now they'll know some of 'em, but some people won't. And I think that's a part of the craftsman part of it, a person who's a craftsman knows a craftsman, as Kobe Bryant has one of the greatest quotes. A lion knows a lion.
[00:36:28] You can look at a lion if you're a lion and know a lion. And I think that's something to be really great at what you do. You have to be able to identify people, not just the people who have sold the most records are won the most races, but the people who are great at their craft. Yeah. And they understand their craft.
[00:36:45] And if you know that, it'll allow you to be the best you can be. So, those answers I was really intrigued by, because that would've been way lower on my list of what I thought he was gonna say. Yeah. But I think that shows you the level of commitment to what he does.
[00:37:01] Lindsay: So I've heard Dale Jr. talk that way about it a lot, too, about the history of it. But I've heard that in football, too, covering different teams. And when you're in meetings and you hear stories, there are people that Josh Allen is one that people talk about, it's like, he just finds a way to find people and pay respect when he's playing against certain teams.
[00:37:21] Right. Or I think that's a common thread.. That's pretty cool. And it makes total sense. With fan bases. So with you, Eric, how did you do what you did? Did you believe that you were gonna have that rabid of a fan base at a certain point? Or did you? Was it strategic, or?
[00:37:41] Eric: No, it was reactionary.
[00:37:43] I think a lot of our things were circumstances that happened, and then we reacted to the circumstances. Cameme out, we had, how about using our first song, and did okay. And then we released a song about teen pregnancy, two pink lines, 'cause I thought that was a good idea. That didn't work. And then we got fired from Rascal Flats' tour 'cause we didn't follow the rules and all these things happened, but we reacted.
[00:38:02] Lindsay: You played too long, is that what it was?
[00:38:03] Eric: We, it was a bunch of things, but yeah, we can get into that another time. But yeah. Wasn't that simple, but yes, we got fired and, but we, reacted to those things, right? and our fan base, the way we reacted is how our fan base kind of, so when we got fired from the Rascal Flat Tour, we had 12 shows left.
[00:38:23] on the tour when we got fired. Taylor Swift replaced us. Our last show was Madison Square Garden, a nd so we got fired and I didn't have anything else to do. So we, in the rest of the cities with Rascal Flats, went to their tour, which was called the Me and My Gang Tour. So we launched the Me and Myself tour. So I went to all the rock clubs in the city that were Rascal Flats.
[00:38:46] So the Rascal Flatts is playing the arena, right?
[00:38:48] Lindsay: Yeah,
[00:38:49] Eric: I was playing the Little Rock Club down the street, and I would start my show when their show ended, and I did it every city on the rest of the tour.
[00:38:56] Lindsay: Is that your idea?
[00:38:57] Eric: Honored the entire tour? The whole thing. Like we'd show up, and some nights you had 12 people.
[00:39:01] But what I found during that time was that there was a bunch of guys, it was a male-driven, like at that time, people, it's crazy to think about, but it was kind of a soccer mom format. You had Martina McBride, you had Sarah Evans, you had Reba McIntyre. Yet, all these people that, that's kind of who the music was.
[00:39:18] There wasn't a guy contingent.
[00:39:21] Lindsay: And it was like this one's for the girl. And it was like that era of right, that was the era of country music. Right? Right.
[00:39:25] Eric: So as we would go play these places, you would get like this, cru disgruntled southern rock, classic guy, tattooed dude at the bar. And we kind of found a fan base.
[00:39:36] Like all of a sudden, it started growing. We would, we did the first me and myself tour or date, like for 12 people. And the next one was a hundred. And the next one was like, by the time we gotta to the end of the Rascal Flats tour that I wasn't on anymore, I was stalking them.
[00:39:53] Lindsay: Did they know you were doing that?
[00:39:54] Eric: Oh yeah. They hated it. Yeah. They knew we were doing it, but I did it as a little bit of a, that and, a little bit or a lot, yeah. And so we get to the last one, and it was like, we had a pretty big following. It became like a thing, and it gave us identity. We stood for something, and we made a decision.
[00:40:11] I've, we've tried to do that our entire career. I mean, I've done that. Yeah. I've done that a number of times, where I don't care if you agree with me. I'm gonna tell you what I think. I don't care how it affects my career. I'm just that'sho I am. And I think that the real, the real fan base is they understand that, and I think it makes 'em more passionate.
[00:40:30] Lindsay: Okay. Real quick, with the, when you were fired, was that, does that happen? That doesn't happen often, does it?
[00:40:36] Eric: No. No. I don't know of, no.
[00:40:38] Lindsay: So was that.
[00:40:39] Eric: I don’t really know of another one that it happened.
[00:40:40] Lindsay: Okay. So that was a strange situation. Oh yeah. To navigate through? Yeah.
[00:40:44] Eric: That was the biggest act. Believe it or not, that was probably the biggest act in country music at the time.
[00:40:49] I mean, they were, I think they went from entertainer to an entertainer that year.
[00:40:52] Lindsay: Is it true that Taylor Swift sent you a guitar?
[00:40:54] Eric: Yep. She sent me her first gold album from her initial, Tim McGraw, and Taylor Swift.
[00:41:03] Lindsay: Yeah.
[00:41:04] Eric: She called me when she replaced me. I didn't find out that I was fired until she called me.
[00:41:09] I was planning to go to the next show, and then she called and said, Well, I'm doing the show. I said, well, okay, I guess I'm not, and I, I said, listen, you're gonna, she apologized, and I said, listen, don't worry about it. And I said, you're gonna,
[00:41:19] Lindsay: That's an awesome move.
[00:41:20] Eric: I said, you're gonna do great.
[00:41:21] I said, they're gonna love you. And I said, I have one request. She said, What's that? I said, when you have your first Gold album, I want it. And about nine days later, she was playing a festival, and she showed up on the bus, and he wrote, It's in the Hall of Fame right now. The record is, but it says, to Eric thanks for playing too long and too loud. I sincerely appreciate it. Signed Taylor Swift, and it was on her album.
[00:41:46] Lindsay: Oh my God, wow. Right?
[00:41:47] Eric: Yep.
[00:41:49] Lindsay: I love that story though, about, I don't know what
[00:41:50] Eric: happened to her. She is all around building. I think she's doing okay. Yeah. Might have retired.
[00:41:55] Lindsay: Yeah. Yeah. Oh my God. That's crazy. Yeah, when was the first time you heard Talladega?
[00:42:02] Chase: Probably about how many songs Deep into the album was it? No, I don't know that, don't know. I don't know. However many minutes it would take from about midnight to seven. Pretty seven, I would say. Really? Probably pretty quick. Yeah. Yeah. I mean, for me, especially when that album came out, I mean, I was definitely listening a lot and I was waiting on the next one to come out pretty intently.
[00:42:26] So, yeah, not long.
[00:42:28] Lindsay: And what was, what were your thoughts when you heard it the first time? Do you remember?
[00:42:32] Chase: Well, that, to me, that was one of the songs on the record that everyone was gonna and you knew, I knew the first time I listened to it, that was gonna be one of the ones that everybody was gonna listen to, right?
[00:42:42] And everyone was gonna enjoy. So, t, it's one of those songs where you listen to it, you like it, like everybody else does, and you appreciate it. But like I said, again, I'm kind of trying to find them between ones. I knew that was one of the ones that. That had the star next to it. It was the way it seemed from the outside, looking at it.
[00:43:00] Lindsay: How'd you become a NASCAR fan in the first place?
[00:43:03] Eric: I grew up in North Carolina, man, Western North Carolina. I used to go to races in North Wilkesboro, which is back when old, one of the old school tracks, which is about 45 minutes from where I grew up.
[00:43:11] Lindsay: Okay.
[00:43:12] Eric: Went to Hickory Motor Speedway. They didn't have cup stuff, but they had,
[00:43:15] Lindsay: The Jarretts race there.
[00:43:17] Eric: Dale Ed, and those guys. But you grew up in North Carolina. I mean, it's almost a birthright at that time now. I became a, became a, Dale Senior fan. He was a Chevy guy. I went back and forth through my life, but he's always been like a Chevy guy. So, that was back when that mattered.
[00:43:34] It probably doesn't matter as much now, but in that Golden era, let's say late eighties through the nineties of NASCAR, it was really a lot of it was about what you drove. Oh yeah. It was about the, it was about the brand of cars. Yeah. Chevy. And
[00:43:46] Lindsay: It was really Ford or Chevy. It
[00:43:48] Eric: Was it really Ford or Chevy?
[00:43:48] That's right. I mean, that, that's really what it was down to at that time,
[00:43:52] Lindsay: Yeah.
[00:43:53] Eric: And, so, that my dad was also, Davey Allison fan, before he died, but he, it was, just a golden air of NASCAR. I mean, I can remember, every Sunday, we would either watch or listen to the race, that's just what we did.
[00:44:09] Lindsay: So the idea for Talladega was that percolating for you for a while?
[00:44:13] Eric: So ironic. Yeah. But it wasn't about the race; it was about the experience of the people experiencing the race. You mentioned earlier that you thought you were missing out on life if you weren't; that's it. That's the whole thing.
[00:44:25] It's not about it's racing or could it have been football or could it have been soccer. It doesn't matter. It's about being with the people and experiencing that and letting that be a marker, a memory marker for their life. And that's really what it was. Ironically, when I wrote that song, I was on a bus at a festival, a July 4th in Daytona.
[00:44:44] The Daytona July 4th race was happening, and we were watching it. I was with a songwriter of mine, and we were watching the race. And I was like, man, that'd be cool. So they showed like the infield and you had all the people that, and their, whatever, their hall campers. Yeah. Campers. Yeah. They had the flags, and I was like, man, that's just such a cool, it's like a music festival.
[00:45:03] It's like Woodstock, Yeah. And we start talking about it's a great way of describing, and I was like, well, we could, we could just write this, but we couldn't get Daytona to line up. Right. And for whatever reason, Talladega lined up better. So we wrote it that way.
[00:45:18] We just wound up picking a path using those pictures and wrote the song.
[00:45:24] Lindsay: I love the way it starts. What, so what's it like to win Talladega?
[00:45:28] Eric: Oh yeah.
[00:45:28] Lindsay: You won the last race that was there, in October. I'm gonna
[00:45:31] Eric: to take this one. Okay. Yeah. Listen, I'm a son of a bitch on a, you can talk about snowmobile.
[00:45:36] I'm great on a snowmobile. It looks like it. You, yeah, that's right. You take this one.
[00:45:43] Chase: Fair. Yeah. Talladega, I've always kind of looked at that race. Obviously, Atlanta's my home track. Butt, with dad's success at Talladega and the special things that they did, throughout, throughout his career and how close it is to home, it has always, and for whatever reason, fans have really kind of made it feel like a home track to me.
[00:46:08] That has made Talladega special, in my eyes. But just because, yeah, and I guess it's because it's so close to home. I don't know if it's just his past and the wins and the speed record and all that stuff, obviously have a great significance over the course of NASCAR history, or if it's just 'cause it's right across state lines, but nonetheless, it's always kind of felt like a home race.
[00:46:30] So, for me to be able to win over there is special for that reason. Probably more than anything else, plate racing is. I know you're good on a snowmobile, but you could probably win one of those, too. I mean, you gotta get the right spot, but probably should not be done.
[00:46:48] It's, it's just one of those things that certainly have to have some things go your way, but just that atmosphere is what makes that place special to me, and how close it is to the house.
[00:46:57] Lindsay: What's, is there a moment, I love hearing people's explanations of when you're on the track during a race, that's just your favorite moment other than crossing winning checkers.
[00:47:08] Right. Of course. That would
[00:47:09] Chase: Be my first choice. Right. Yeah. I think that can vary, but there's always a point there before an event starts that, na, NASCAR is unique, right? We're taking care of sponsors up until the time we get in the car. Right. And, I think that's new.
[00:47:31] Lindsay: Yeah.
[00:47:32] Eric: Right. I mean, as far as his history of NASCAR, we can go into that, but keep going.
[00:47:36] Yeah. Yeah. No, you're good at that. That, that, that's a whole, that's a whole different, like that's a, that happened in, that's happened in music too. That's happened in country music. If you go back to Aaylon, Merle Haggard, that era.
[00:47:47] Lindsay: Yeah.
[00:47:47] Eric: It was different with how they approached shows, how they approached their interaction.
[00:47:52] The people who built NNASCAR, A lot of the, actually, I would say it's the same people that built country music. They're the same people. And they did it differently than you ended up doing when commercialization got involved, money got involved. That's just part of it. I've dealt with it. And you have to do these things that other people didn't have to do. Junior Johnson was not out there gripping and grinning, before a thing he wasn't.
[00:48:17] And it's just, it changes, it changes. It's kind of a growing up in the sport, a little bit, it's gotten negatives and positives to me. Not to interrupt you, but that, no, something that
.[00:48:26] Chase: I think you're spot on.
[00:48:27] Eric: When you said that I've had to deal, I've had to do that too.
[00:48:29] And there's been things that you're like, fuck, I know George Jones didn't do this, Well, because, and you're dealing with that kind of part, does
[00:48:35] Lindsay: It requires bandwidth that you would have to be by yourself or do whatever, right? Are you saying leading up to the event?
[00:48:45] Eric: I'm just saying there are other things involved with the, whether it's the concert or whether it's the race, then it was, it's not just the music, the built right. And I think a lot of those things change the mental capacity, a little bit of how you approach it. It's just my opinion. Yeah. It changes your mechanism a little bit.
[00:49:03] Chase: And there's gotta be a switch in there
[00:49:05] somewhere, right, too. That has to be flipped. And that's, I'm probably the world's worst, I would say, at being able to flip that switch. Because when I get, and it's time to go and do your job, as I mentioned earlier, I take it very seriously and, maybe too seriously some days, to the point where you carry it home with you a little worse than you probably should.
[00:49:25] Yeah. But at the same time, I think, because of that, it is just how I feel like I need to be, to go to perform at the level that I feel like I need to perform at. But balancing, taking care of your partners, and making sure everybody is, all those boxes are checked, a nd then to get in a competitive mindset for me is something very difficult.
[00:49:45] And especially with hownback-to-back they are for us. I mean, you're,
[00:49:49] Lindsay: Yeah.
[00:49:50] Chase: Take a picture, get in the car, and go drive. So I think, but to answer your question, that part of the day where I get in the car and I'm putting my belts on and we're fixing to go race, that is my favorite part of Sunday.
[00:50:05] Unless you win, most of the time you go home mad. But every now and again, you'll get lucky and go home happy. But that part of the day is really important to me because when you're getting in there, that's, you're finally in your space, it's yes, I'm finally here. Let's go to work. I want to go to work and do what I do, what I came here to do.
[00:50:24] Lindsay: Is there a better way to do it? I mean, in both industries, to not have to do, I understand the obligations, and you understand you've gotta please the sponsors and everything, and the fans, but would there be a better way?
[00:50:36] Eric: I think what he said was very profound. You have to be able to flip the switch.
[00:50:39] Like I, I have to go do, so when I go, like when I go through a meet and greeter, I go through what I have to do pre-show, then I go back to the bus and I have about 10 or 15 minutes that I change my mindset before I walk on stage. So it's a matter of just, at least for me, I have to have that separation for a second that I know I have to do these things.
[00:51:00] But I need a minute before I go and then do my real kind of job, and
[00:51:06] Lindsay: Yeah.
[00:51:07] Eric: That's just the way I process it.
[00:51:09] Lindsay: What does that look like for you in that time?
[00:51:13] Eric: I go to the bus, kind of, I'm kind of alone for a minute. I kind of process where I'm at the show, when I pro, I usually have a Jack Daniels and then go play. It's just, it's a matter of getting in the spirit of what, got, how I started doing this in the first place.
[00:51:26] You try to get back to that. If you'd have told the guy that was in a bar or a club, 20 years ago, that you would get to go play in an arena or a stadium, you have to give that a level of respect I'm about to walk on. So here's the thing: if you don't have swagger, I would say the same thing.
[00:51:42] I don't, I've never driven a race car, but if you don't have that swagger when you walk out in front of that many people, or you drive a car in front of that many people, you're not, you're gonna lose. Some people have it, some people manufacture it. It doesn't matter as long as you get it there.
[00:51:59] But you can't, I don't think it's just something you can walk out and do. I think you have to have that persona, and you have to have that confidence.
[00:52:06] Lindsay: Do you have a, like, a process?
[00:52:09] Eric: I mean, it's probably not Jack Daniels. No.
[00:52:11] Chase: It's definitely not. It's definitely not, Jack Daniels. I think for us, it, is different because my time that you talked about kind of have a few minutes to yourself, that happens two or three hours before the race, and then in between those two hours before the event, I'm back to taking care of, the partners and, the things that we do all the way up till literally you get in the car.
[00:52:35] So, but do you have it when you get in the car? When I get in the car, yes. Yeah. There's always 2, 3, 4, 5 minutes where, you know, you can kind of get your bearings right and understand the task at hand. Kind of running back through things that I was thinking about pre-race and, just kind of where my head is, just generally on the day and what we need to accomplish if there's some special scenario going on, whatever it may be.
[00:52:59] But you have a few minutes to. To kinda get your, get yourself back together.
[00:53:04] Lindsay: You held a nine flag on stage after Talladega after Chase won. Was that two, 2019? Do you remember that story? It was somewhere in there.
[00:53:15] Chase: Yeah. I think you won in 19. I remember that. Yeah.
[00:53:18] Lindsay: Where'd you get the flag?
[00:53:19] What? Do you remember? The crowd?
[00:53:20] Eric: Yeah, I got it from the crowd. Someone gave it to you? Yeah. Yeah. And we, that's been, that's become a part of Talladega. I get a lot more Chase flags now, but initially it was Three Flags. It was Dale and Hart. And then, which is great.
[00:53:34] And then, I just think the great thing about being able to do that when it becomes a, these boots is that way where people raise their boots up when you have something that I never manufactured, I never said, Hey, do this. Right? Yeah. It was never something; there was never a cue. They just took that upon themselves to do that.
[00:53:52] And that's some of the coolest things, at least from my career. And, there's a lot of, there's a lot of, lot of nine flags out there now, which is great. So, after that,, was aware that Chase had won, so I grabbed that. It was a great moment for the crowd.
[00:54:06] Lindsay: Super cool. Do you remember seeing that?
[00:54:07] Chase: It was super cool. Yeah. Somebody, somebody tagged me on it. Or whatever, Anand IIaw it and I was lying in bed there, whatever night it was at the next race. And I was like, man, that's, that obviously that was really cool for me, to see that. And, yeah, it had been a good week too, coming off a win like that at a track like Talladega.
[00:54:30] So yeah, definitely special and meant a lot to me.
[00:54:33] Lindsay: Super cool. He talked about the moment for him. What is there a moment on stage or around a show where that means more to you than any other moment that you would experience?
[00:54:44] Eric: I've had, I've had a few, but I got to do, as far as like just shows, I mean, I have two that come to mind immediately, mine.
[00:54:55] I got to do George Strait's last show ever when he retired in, in Texas Stadium. And I got to go out with him, and we did a couple of songs, and it was just a kind of a,
[00:55:04] Lindsay: Wow,
[00:55:04] Eric: It was just a special, I don't know, it's just one of those things to be standing beside a guy like that, and I don't know. It was just, and then the other one, Bruce Springsteen. He invited me to do it, it was a charity event at Madison Square Garden, and he invited me, just me, to come open and then play with him, and to be standing. We shared a microphone, so he didn't wanna do it; he wanted to do one of his songs off the Born to Run album, working on the highway, but he wanted me to sing, and then we shared the microphone.
[00:55:35] And there was a moment during that when you look at the crowd and I'm looking, this fucking Bruce Springsteen that I kind of went, okay, this is one of those moments, so, so for me, there's there, there's more than that. But that's a couple that comes to mind.
[00:55:49] Lindsay: Like when they're giving it back to you, like you.
[00:55:52] Right. Yeah.
[00:55:53] Chase: That, to me, is the most incredible thing. Yeah. I was at your show at The Rocks. Yeah, when y'all played out there. That was
[00:56:01] Eric: A good one. Yeah. That's another great place.
[00:56:03] Chase: Yeah. I was just, I remember specifically, I was like, I just, I could not imagine being in he position to re I'm taking something that started as just a thought in my head, and this entire crowd packed out is singing it back to me.
[00:56:19] If I stop singing right now, they're gonna sing every word to me that, yeah. Began as a thought that always has blown my mind about just the musicians and the great artists, and just how you can create those tunes out of thin air. I just, that, that blows me away.
[00:56:38] Lindsay: So now you're doing something different with the amphitheaters.
[00:56:41] Yeah. Right. In your tour coming up this summer.
[00:56:44] Eric: We’re taking openers for the first time. We've toured by ourselves for. I see eight years now where we've had no open. It's just us.
[00:56:51] Lindsay: I didn't realize that you never did. Well, you never had an opener.
[00:56:55] Eric: Well, we've had nobody for a long time.
[00:56:56] It's just us, so this is the first time we're actually bringing that.
[00:57:00] Lindsay: Cause of your experience with Rascal Flatts?
[00:57:01] Eric: No, I'm just kidding. Good, good, comment though. But no, I think, it's just at least for this next tour, when you go out, so I've never played amphitheaters.
[00:57:11] I've never embraced the kind of tailgate thing. And at this time in my career, I just wanna try it. And you can't make people sit out in the sun all day. So it was, time to, Hey, let's bring in some acts. And then what I enjoyed about it is you can embrace some of the younger acts that I like that are people that, we don't, I'm not trying to sell tickets.
[00:57:31] I just wanna bring people in that I think we should champion. Cool. And I enjoyed that, so being able to bring these people in, it'll be something new for us. It'll be a new way to tour.
[00:57:41] Lindsay: Is there someone that you're really pumped about championing that you wanna go? [00:57:45]
Eric: I love all of the, what's happening in the non-commercial aspect right now, the Americana aspect.
[00:57:49] There's Cody Jinks, there's Whiskey Myers, there are a lot of guys that are playing with I really like, and these aren't guys that have hit songs, but they do incredible work, and I think that's the future of music anyway. So I'm excited about seeing that play out.
[00:58:03] Lindsay: What are you excited about with the future of NASCAR and for you?
[00:58:08] Chase: Yeah, I mean, I think I, I agree with all that. I'm looking forward to seeing where that goes. Huge Whiskey Myers guy here as well, love their stuff. And, yeah, anyways, different conversation. But yeah, on the NASCAR side for me, I mean, I think, a lot of that is kind of outta my hands, I think where is tour goes can be some of your decision.
[00:58:30] Probably a lot of your decision on who you decide to bring with you for that show or that festival is a lot of your decision? A lot of the things that NASCAR does on the weekends are not my decision. Frankly, I'm just a part of the, I'm a part of the event, and I'm just a competitor in the event. So I think for me to sit here and act like I have this perfectly mapped out story for where NASCAR goes over the next 10 years, I'd be lying because that's just not my call.
[00:58:58] And my job right now is to perform at a high level behind the wheel. And, I don't want, I don't want the rest of that to be my job right now anyway. So. I don't know where it's headed., Really don't. But, for me right now, I have a great opportunity to go and do something I wanted to do since I was a little kid, and we'll see.
[00:59:18] Eric: Do you like the new rules, changes, and stuff at NASCAR, let's say the last three or four years? Is that something you like or don't like?
[00:59:24] Chase: Some of the stuff I like, some of the stuff I don't like. Like I tell a lot of people, I appreciate their willingness to try new things, but I think one issue you might run into with that, with NASCAR, is some of the stuff that doesn't work is you're gonna have to look in the mirror and say, Hey, this wasn't good.
[00:59:42] And I think what scares me about some of those changes being made is they're not gonna be able to look in the mirror and say, this wasn't good, and we need to maybe do this a little differently or go back here or go back there. Not to say they're all bad, because I think some of them can be positive too, but, so I appreciate their willingness to try new things.
[01:00:01] Some of the things I support, some of the things I don't, yeah,
[01:00:05] Eric: There's a lot of correlation. I mean, the reason I'm always intrigued by this is with NASCAR and country music. There are a number of times that, let's say, I'll use country music as the example. There are a lot of times in country music history where we kind of found ourselves, right?
[01:00:20] Let's say the nineties. You had the Garth Brooks era, you had this stuff, Travis Strip, and it blew up. And then we built, we played arenas, and we did all these things. And then the music, because of that, everybody went country, and we decided to cross it over and tried to go pop, and then we lost ourselves.
[01:00:41] And the market crashes. Right? And we have to find our way back to earth. NASCAR's a lot of the same way where, in the late nineties, early two thousands, NASCAR is building bigger and bigger tracks. It's the fastest-growing sport in the world. It's bigger than soccer. There are 200,000 fans at these places.
[01:00:58] Build, build, and then, because of the corporate, because of the commercialism, you lose the soul of the sport a little. Right? And a lot like country music. You're gonna go through the doldrums, and when that happens, you have to figure out a way to come back. And a lot of these rule changes and a lot of these things are how to adapt to that.
[01:01:15] Right? So country music's done the same thing, and it's not always worked, but so
[01:01:19] Lindsay: How does it level off? Where do you?
[01:01:21] Eric: That's a great question. You meet in the middle. How do you? That's a great question. I think the soul of it, you still have to have, 'cause I think the soul of NASCAR is very similar to the soul of country music.
[01:01:29] It's authentic, it's real. If you try to sell something that's not, you're not gonna get it across.
[01:01:35] Lindsay: I mean, I think that what you just said is also just anyone that came through that pandemic, it's like you realize so much more as well that the value of just the people, right?
[01:01:46] And the genuine relationships in any business, any sort of partnership that you have. I don't know. I just think that's so key. And being open and real is everything. What would you guys both say has been what toughest thing that you have endured that maybe you've overcome? Going on your journey and what you do.
[01:02:11] Chase: Start, why don’t you go ahead on that one?
[01:02:13] I need a minute.
[01:02:15] Eric: I think I got a few answers there. I mean, a lot of times that you look back on your career, I think for me it was, it was staying true to the art part of it. When we were in bars and we're in clubs, and you have a label going, Hey, this isn't working.
[01:02:34] You're gonna need to play this type of song. You're gonna need to recut this type of song. This is what's happening in the format. And we didn't do that. We said, no, it's not who we are. I realize that you may either drop us from the label or you're not, whatever. Yeah. We're just not going to do that. This is who we are.
[01:02:53] You kind of stick to your guns. I see so many young artists who work their whole lives to get a record deal. That's their dream. And then things start to go a little bit sideways. And you have a label or somebody goes, This is what we need you to do. And they do it because they just want it so bad.
[01:03:11] If it's not who you are, it's not gonna work. And I think what for us was the real kind of a divide in the road was, if this doesn't work, that's fine. We're still gonna be who we are, and we're gonna stay on this path. And it was an incredibly hard moment at the time, but it made the rest of our career.
[01:03:30] And I think a lot of young artists that the pressure to not do that is enormous, and they don't do it normally. So I think for me, that moment was, big moment.
[01:03:41] Lindsay: How do you make that decision in a moment like that, even for those artists?
[01:03:45] Eric: Well, for me, I made it go okay, if I may fail anyway, I'm at least going to fail on my own terms, I'm gonna get enough rope to hang myself.
[01:03:55] Basically, for me, that was the way I knew I could sleep at night, no matter what job I had. If I had done it that way, if I had done it the other way and failed, I would always go, damnit, I knew I should have gone this way. But
[01:04:08] Lindsay: Did you have to ask people, because that's a hard decision to make, right?
[01:04:11] That's, did you have to make sure that you were doing that was Yeah, I was. Okay.
[01:04:17] Eric: Yeah. I mean, you have to ask people, but at the same time, it all comes down to here. Yeah. Right. But I did. I was like, yeah, they want me to do this, and we do that, and we flirted with it. I mean, like any artist would, I mean, I'll admit it, I did too, and I was like, man, I can't do it. So we put out Smoke a Little Smoke Pro marijuana song, which is perfect for the time. You who thought that would work?
[01:04:41] Chase: Everybody now, pretty legal nowadays. But, yeah, I think for me, a bit of a different answer. I guess probably more just experiences, throughout my career. But, I would say, leading up to the cup side, there had been a good bit of success pretty quickly.
[01:05:00] And then that road to getting that first win in the Cup series was pretty rocky at times. And, there was some, and that kind of includes going home very disappointed, on a few occasions. Having were fortunate that we had opportunities to win, but we just couldn't get over that hump.
[01:05:17] And it was like, well, when's that gonna happen? When's that gonna happen? When's that gonna happen? And that was a tough one, I think, for me to navigate just because I was in uncharted waters, right? I'm, a young guy coming in we're running good at, different times, and just having to be able to give her that hump and, that was a, and that's a really big deal to, to be able to win in, the Cup series and, something that I dreamed and had, aspirations of, achieving.
[01:05:46] And that road was, it was filled with a lot of good lessons for sure at the time. Didn't appreciate 'em, but looking back, definitely, I definitely do. And, I think that. Helped not only myself, but I think it helped our race team become who we are today, who, fortunately, a lot of us are still there, kind of the same group.
[01:06:05] But just that road to that first win, I'd say it was one of the more difficult and challenging things I've had to get through.
[01:06:11] Lindsay: What'd you take away from that? What was the lesson that you said, or one of them?
[01:06:16] Chase: Yeah, I mean, I think just, how to deal with the noise a little bit. Probably would be the biggest one, right? Because at the end of the day, it's about your team and your efforts and what you bring to the racetrack and how you execute your plan and that week's race. Andd I think you, through those, tough losses, I think it, it teaches you what not to do in, some cases, but I also think it, it teaches you a little bit more to have the proper amount of appreciation for when you do get across that bridge, or if you do get across that bridge,
[01:06:55] What it should feel like and how much appreciation you should have for it when you get there, because that's a tough one to cross. And, those tough losses will show you how much it means to you because if you go home upset after a tough loss, it means you care. And if you had a tough loss, it means you're probably pretty close to achieving it in the first place.
[01:07:15] Lindsay: Well said.
[01:07:15] Chase: Well said.
[01:07:16] Lindsay: Yeah, very true.
[01:07:17] Chase: Agreed.
[01:07:18] Lindsay: One thing I would still love to accomplish is, Chase?
[01:07:23] Chase: I'd like to win one championship. We talked about the COVID year, right? So doing one outside of the COVID year would be cool. But, yeah, I mean I think that I could probably give a deeper answer than that, I think.
[01:07:37] but certainly just from a pure competition aspect. What I want to achieve within my job. I mean, you're certainly, you're judged on performance, right? You're judged on wins and losses, but just for my own personal judgment, I want to go and try to get another one. Before we get through two or three, be great.
[01:07:59] But being able to win more than one is a big deal.
[01:08:03] Eric: Alright. I have a different answer for that. I feel like that I've, I've done about everything I wanted to do, a nd I think there's a liberating thing about that. So what I'm interested in is for the next whatever time in my career is, what have I not thought about doing?
[01:08:20] It's not about I wanna win this award, I've won all the awards. I've sold all the albums, I've sold out all the venues. So it's a matter of what is something musically, or I don't know artistically, that has nothing to do with any of those measurements that I wanna. And I think that, I don't know whether it's writing, whether it's a Broadway show, whether it's, I mean, any of that stuff, I don't know.
[01:08:47] I'm just saying that
[01:08:48] Lindsay: Is that... have you thought of those things then?
[01:08:50] Eric: No, not at all. I'm just saying, I, I don't want that to be, like, I think that not having, yeah. I don't have a mechanism now of that I need to do this. And I think that creatively, I, anytime you put creativity in the driver's seat, you win.
[01:09:06] But as long as you can lean into that, I think that, you'll, there's cool stuff that'll happen, at least in my life, remember.
[01:09:14] So, that's what I'm interested in. To answer your question, I have no idea. But I think it's fun not to have an idea. It's really cool, though. Idea. I have no clue.
[01:09:21] Like I'm gonna, I'm gonna figure it out and I'm gonna chase whatever comes,
[01:09:27] Lindsay: You have something for Eric? You brought something?
[01:09:32] Chase: Yeah. We'll bring it up. I don't know where it is.
[01:09:36] Yeah. So, this is not because of my shoulder, right? No, but you can use it. You said you weren't wearing a helmet, or were you? I was okay. Well, if you need a better helmet next time, this might help, but yeah, man. Yeah, nonetheless. So I just thought it'd be cool to bring you something, that guitar that you signed for me after we won that first race, that I talked about.
[01:09:58] It's something I keep at my house, and I greatly appreciate you doing it. Never had a chance to say thank you. So, thank you. Yeah, you're welcome. You're welcome. And yeah, so this is a, oh yeah, man, a helmet from oh, that's cool. 2021, 2022. and. Wrote a little note. You don't have to read it, but nonetheless, no.
[01:10:15] Lindsay: Read it out loud for everyone. I'm totally kidding.
[01:10:17] Chase: You can read it. Just don't read it out loud. I'm joking. Thank you. No, either way. But just appreciate y'all doing this and having us. And how tight are these things? They just, they gripy they, yeah. You won't, you don't want that to move.
[01:10:30] You should. Have you done the ride-along type deal? I wouldn't, not now. But
[01:10:34] Eric: I drove the Pace car at Talladega in 2016-17. So I got to kind of go do that, hing. Awesome. It was fantastic. Thank you for this.
[01:10:47] Chase: Yeah, very welcome, thank you. Very cool.
[01:10:49] Eric: I have a similar thing for you. I have a similar theme.
[01:10:53] So this is from the Talladega video. I had to go get this outta the Hall of Fame. So this, are you kidding me? No. So this is the, this is the jacket that they made for the Talladega video. If you watched the video, this is it. So I couldn't think of a better person. To have this, so, wow. Migaa. I appreciate it.
[01:11:15] Chase: Yeah. You got it. Yeah. Thank you very much. Wow. That's awesome. That is very cool. Yours comes with a much cooler story than mine. I
[01:11:21] Eric: No, it's not. No, it's very similar. It's very similar, but that's, I got. I can't think of a better place for that to live, so there you go. Very cool. Well, definitely take good care of it.
[01:11:31] Lindsay: Wow, that you had to go get it.
[01:11:32] Eric: Today we're gonna get outta the hall of fame.
[01:11:34] Chase: Oh, you're being serious about that.
[01:11:34] Eric: I'm being dead serious. Yeah. I had to get it out of the Country Music Hall of Fame.
[01:11:38] Chase: Yeah. Oh, wow, I definitely don't.
[01:11:40] Eric: It's no longer there. It's gone. But
[01:11:41] Chase: Yeah, I see that.
[01:11:43] Eric: I'm not qualified for this.
[01:11:44] So you're better?
[01:11:45] Lindsay: Yeah. Come. Wow, that's beautiful.
[01:11:47] Eric: Yeah. That
[01:11:48] Lindsay: Is it? Super cool. Yeah.
[01:11:49] Eric: Cause it, I guess, it's the racing stripe. That was the thing when they did it, it was like the checkered flag kind of thing.
[01:11:54] Lindsay: Yes.
[01:11:55] Eric: That was the whole deal.
[01:11:56] Lindsay: I love that. So anyway. Yeah. Checkered flag, but it's until you said it, I didn't, it's subtle.
[01:12:01] Eric: but impactful.
[01:12:03] Lindsay: Very cool.
[01:12:03] Eric: There you go. That's awesome. Thank you. Yeah. I appreciate it. Nice amigo. Yeah, you too.
[01:12:07] Lindsay: Listen, you guys rock. Thank you. Thank you. This was a really fun conversation.
[01:12:12] Eric: Yeah. Thanks for having us.
[01:12:12] Lindsay: Thanks so much for joining me. I can't wait to see you back here next week. Please don't forget, follow and subscribe to things no one tells you.
[01:12:19] And of course, if you're listening on Apple Podcasts, don't forget to leave a five-star review because that's really what helps people get more. Listeners, we would love to grow this community. We are so grateful that you're a part of it. See you next time.
