By Mike Finney

DOVER — If there’s one thing that provides reigning NASCAR Cup Series champion Chase Elliott with an advantage over the competition it’s the people he often seeks out for advice — most obviously, his legendary father Bill Elliott.

But when it comes to racing at Dover International Speedway in Sunday’s Drydene 400, the younger Elliott will also try to conjure up tips that his former Hendrick Motorsports teammate Jimmie Johnson gave him at navigating his way around the high-banked, one-mile oval.

Anything he can learn from Johnson, who leads all drivers with 11 career victories at Dover, is obviously a plus.

“We have had some good runs at Dover in the past,” Elliott said. “(Rick) Hendrick has had fast cars at Dover, too, and I know I’ve said it before, but I think Jimmie (Johnson) is one of the biggest reasons for that success.

“He was so good at Dover and gave all of us such a good baseline to start each race weekend. We look forward to getting back this weekend and, hopefully, having a good run.

“For me, I’m very lucky. My dad obviously has had great success over the years and has been around this deal for a long time. Obviously, Jimmie is a great one to lean on, too.”

Elliott enters Sunday’s race at Dover in eighth place in the points standings, 147 points behind current leader Denny Hamlin.

The 25-year-old second-generation driver from Dawsonville, Ga., has yet to reach victory lane this season after winning five times in his championship season last year.

He is hoping Dover can provide his race team with a spark. After all, he became the youngest Dover race winner of all-time when he conquered the Monster Mile on Oct. 7, 2018 at the age of 22 years, 10 months, 0 days.

“We’ve had some really good cars there and had some had some good runs,” Elliott said, of Dover. “I feel like we need to be just a tick better. I feel like we’ve consistently been really strong, but not consistently just dominant.

“So, I would like to see us kind of get over the hump and be just a tick better to really assert ourselves there more often, you know, in that first place instead of that third, fourth consistently.”

Elliott enters Sunday’s race with an average finish of 11.3 at Dover, the second-best by an active driver at the racetrack behind teammate Kyle Larson (7.42). He has posted seven top-five finishes in 10 starts at the Monster Mile, four of which were top-three results.

Among those was his overtime win in October 2018 and a runner-up performance in 2017. Elliott finished in the top three in both of his rookie appearances at Dover in 2016 – something only Johnson, Kyle Busch and Davey Allison accomplished in their rookie seasons.

Alan Gustafson, who will serve as Elliott’s crew chief in the Drydene 400, is confident his driver can contend for victory at Dover and snap his winless drought so far this season.

“I always look forward to going to Dover,” said Gustafson. “I have always liked the track and like racing there. Outside of our win, we have a pretty good track record at Dover, so we are looking forward to seeing what we have for Sunday.”

While Elliott has yet to win this season, he has finished second on a pair of occasions.

He said there has been no change to the way he approaches races each week despite being the defending champion.

“There is no defending,” Elliott said, during a video conference at the beginning of the season. “We need to be on offense. We need to keep pushing. I think if you’re back on your heels and trying to protect something, I don’t think your mind is in the right place.

“We want more. We’re not trying to play defense. We just simply want more. That needs to be our outlook and keep it as simple as that.”

The high banks of Dover could provide just the boost to propel the young driver to greater things.

A phone call to his good friend Johnson might be in the works for some potential Dover-data acquisition.

“Jimmie is such a great individual and person. He’s a great guy,” Elliott said. “He’s a champion on the track and off the track. I think he’s made that very apparent over the years. I’ve been very lucky and fortunate to call him a friend, have him to lean on in certain times.”

And if that doesn’t do the trick, he can always call upon his dad, who won the 1988 Cup Series championship and drove his way to 44 career wins.

Chase Elliott said his dad always provides him with useful advice, especially about being a champion.

“For me, the big thing from talking to dad that I feel like he’s kind of mentioned is just enjoy these moments because these aren’t things you can take for granted,” he said. “You don’t know when your last race win is. You don’t what tomorrow brings. Nothing’s guaranteed, right?

“Sometimes you wish you could just slow down time and enjoy that moment and make it last a little longer, but you can’t. You just have to enjoy them as much as you can, put emphasis on that.

“I feel like that’s where I’m at right now, is not taking the situation for granted, knowing it’s not an easy thing, knowing it’s not something that comes every day, try to make the most of a great opportunity.”