Elledge plans to attend Indiana University Purdue University Indianapolis this fall and will major in Criminal Justice, with a minor in Psychology.
She looks to move to the Midwest and keep her racing options open as she continues to learn the differences between the outlaw karts she grew up racing and the midgets she’ll be adapting to over the remainder of the season.
“It’s been almost a year since I was actually able to get in a midget and turn some laps (in testing), and it’s definitely a big adjustment from the outlaw karts!” admitted Elledge. “The weirdest thing I’ve found is that in the go-kart, you’re pretty much sitting right in the middle of it and can see the motor and tires … where with the midget I have to get used to having the whole right side out there because you’re more offset to the left.
“For me, it’s just the way that I sit in it that’s so much different. My feet are right underneath me, the pedals were right underneath me … that was just a little weird to get used to, but I’m getting there.”
Elledge can also take comfort in the fact that Kyle Larson and Rico Abreu – who have both made it to NASCAR’s national levels – got their starts in the same style of racing that she did.
“My dad always says, ‘If you can drive an outlaw kart, you can drive anything,’ so I’m hoping it will all work out,” said Elledge. “Everything happens so fast in that style of racing that you have to have that quick reaction time, so I think I’ll be OK.
“I’m not expecting a drastic change, but like anything new, it will take a little getting used to.”
If all goes according to plan, you’ll see Elledge in that Chili Bowl ride she was trying to wrangle next January.
“Last week when I was at the shop with Chad and the Pristine Auction people, I looked at Chad and said, ‘Hey Chad, can I run the Chili Bowl next year?’ He told me, ‘Yeah, if you want to,’” she said with a grin.
“I want to get something together for that so badly. It would be a dream come true,” she added. “I’ve been dying to race in Tulsa since I was old enough to be eligible for the Chili Bowl. We’ll just have to see how everything goes in these first seven and then go from there.”
