While disappointed that she didn’t reach the final feature in the Chili Bowl, a granddaughter of Dale Earnhardt still had an impressive overall performance in her first appearance in the annual dirt track race in Tulsa, Oklahoma.
Karsyn Elledge, daughter of JR Motorsports co-owner Kelley Earnhardt Miller and and niece of Dale Earnhardt Jr., won two heat races during the six-day event, including Saturday’s H feature, before being eliminated after a crash in the subsequent G Main, ending her hopes of making the week’s featured main event.
Still, the 18-year-old from Mooresville, North Carolina, who also won a heat race last Wednesday to kick things off, had a blast overall.
“Honestly, it was more than I could have hoped for,” Elledge told the Tulsa World. “I didn’t have high expectations for myself coming here. … We were able to start off with a heat race win (last Wednesday) that gave me the confidence to say, ‘OK, we can do this. We can fight with these guys.’”
Video of @KarsynElledge3 winning her heat race @cbnationals 👊 pic.twitter.com/lmBRwywWPZ
— Pristine Auction (@PristineAuction) January 18, 2019
Elledge, who drove for Tucker-Boat Motorsports, hopes to continue her budding racing career with more races this season, potentially in USAC competition. She certainly has the genes and showed last week that she has the talent to go forward.
“Overall, I can’t really complain about my Chili Bowl experience,” she told The World. “They knew we were here and they knew we were fast, and that’s really all you can ask for.
Her proud mom, as well as NASCAR Cup driver Bubba Wallace, took to social media to congratulate Elledge on a job well done.
I am grinning from ear to ear proud of my girl @KarsynElledge3 and fuming at the same time because she got wrecked. Can’t wait for 2019 and what’s in store for her!
— Kelley Earnhardt (@EarnhardtKelley) January 19, 2019
Badass job @KarsynElledge3! Keep it rolling!
— Bubba Wallace (@BubbaWallace) January 19, 2019