Chase Elliott facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Chase Elliott
Elliott at Las Vegas Motor Speedway in 2025
Born	William Clyde Elliott II (1995-11-28) November 28, 1995 (age 29) Dawsonville, Georgia, U.S.
Height	6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)
Achievements	2020 NASCAR Cup Series Champion 2022 NASCAR Cup Series Regular Season Champion 2014 Nationwide Series Champion 2020 NASCAR All-Star Race Winner 2025 Cook Out Clash Winner 2× Daytona Can-Am Duel Winner (2017, 2018) 2× Daytona 500 Pole Winner (2016, 2017) 2× Snowball Derby Winner (2011, 2015) 3× Snowflake 100 Winner (2010, 2012, 2013) 2010 Winchester 400 Winner 2012 World Crown 300 Winner 2013 All American 400 Winner Youngest Cup road course winner (22 years) Youngest Dover International Speedway Cup race winner (22 years, 10 months, 8 days) Youngest Kansas Speedway Cup race winner (22 years) Youngest Darlington Raceway Xfinity race winner (18 years)
Awards	2014 NASCAR Nationwide Series Rookie of the Year 2014–2015 NASCAR Xfinity Series Most Popular Driver 2016 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Rookie of the Year 2018–2024 NASCAR Cup Series Most Popular Driver (7 times) Named one of NASCAR's 75 Greatest Drivers
NASCAR Cup Series career
343 races run over 11 years
Car no., team	No. 9 (Hendrick Motorsports)
2024 position	7th
Best finish	1st (2020)
First race	2015 STP 500 (Martinsville)
Last race	2020 FanShield 500 (Phoenix)
First win	2018 Go Bowling at The Glen (Watkins Glen)
Last win	2025 Quaker State 400 (Atlanta)
Wins Top tens Poles 20 183 12
NASCAR Xfinity Series career
87 races run over 10 years
Car no., team	No. 17 (Hendrick Motorsports)
2024 position	80th
Best finish	1st (2014)
First race	2014 DRIVE4COPD 300 (Daytona)
Last race	2025 Explore the Pocono Mountains 250 (Pocono)
First win	2014 O'Reilly Auto Parts 300 (Texas)
Last win	2024 BetMGM 300 (Charlotte)
Wins Top tens Poles 6 71 3
NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series career
18 races run over 7 years
2023 position	98th
Best finish	22nd (2013)
First race	2013 Kroger 250 (Martinsville)
Last race	2023 NextEra Energy 250 (Daytona)
First win	2013 Chevrolet Silverado 250 (Canada)
Last win	2020 North Carolina Education Lottery 200 (Charlotte)
Wins Top tens Poles 3 15 3
Signature
Statistics current as of July 21, 2025.

William Clyde "Chase" Elliott II (born November 28, 1995) is a professional stock car racing driver from the United States. He races full-time in the NASCAR Cup Series for Hendrick Motorsports, driving the No. 9 Chevrolet ZL1. He also races part-time in the NASCAR Xfinity Series in the No. 17 Chevrolet SS for the same team.

Chase is the son of Bill Elliott, who was a NASCAR champion in 1988 and was added to the NASCAR Hall of Fame in 2015. Chase and Bill are one of the few father-son duos in NASCAR history to both win championships. Other famous father-son duos include Lee and Richard Petty, and Ned and Dale Jarrett.

Before joining NASCAR, Chase Elliott was very successful in late model racing. He won many important races, including the Snowball Derby in 2011 and 2015. He also won the Snowflake 100 three times (2010, 2012, 2013), the Winchester 400 in 2010, the World Crown 300 in 2012, and the All American 400 in 2013.

Elliott started his NASCAR career by winning the 2014 NASCAR Nationwide Series championship. He also earned the Rookie of the Year award in 2014. He was the first rookie and the youngest driver ever to win a national NASCAR series championship. In 2016, Elliott began racing full-time in the NASCAR Cup Series. He took over the famous No. 24 Chevrolet from Jeff Gordon at Hendrick Motorsports. That same year, he won the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Rookie of the Year award.

In 2018, Elliott changed his car number to No. 9, which was his father's number. He won his first Cup Series race at Watkins Glen that year. In 2020, Elliott won the NASCAR Cup Series championship. This was Hendrick Motorsports' 13th championship. Chase and his father Bill became the third father-son pair to win NASCAR Cup Series championships. Elliott has also won special exhibition races, like the 2020 NASCAR All-Star Race at Bristol and the 2025 Cook Out Clash at Bowman Gray Stadium. He has won 20 career Cup Series races, including seven on road courses. Elliott has won the Most Popular Driver Award seven times in a row. In 2023, he was named one of NASCAR's 75 Greatest Drivers.

Racing Career Highlights

Early Racing Days

Chase's K&N Pro Series East car at Rockingham in 2012

When Chase Elliott was 13, Sports Illustrated magazine featured him as a potential future star. This was in July 2009. In 2010, Elliott raced in 40 events. He won 12 of them and finished in the top ten 38 times. He won several championships that year. He was also named the Georgia Asphalt Pro Late Model Series Rookie of the Year. He ended the season by winning the important Winchester 400 race.

In April 2011, Sports Illustrated named Elliott their High School Player of the Week. That year, he won the National Super Late Model championship. Soon after turning 16, Elliott became the youngest winner of the Snowball Derby. He won by a very small margin of 0.229 seconds. In 2012, Elliott won the Alan Turner Snowflake 100 for the second time. This race is a warm-up event for the Snowball Derby.

In November 2013, Elliott won the All American 400. This made him the first driver to win all four of the nation's biggest short-track races. These races are the All American 400, the Snowball Derby, the World Crown 300, and the Winchester 400. The next month, he seemed to win both the Snowball Derby and Snowflake 100 in the same weekend. However, his car was found to have an illegal part, so he was disqualified. Erik Jones was then given the victory. Elliott later won the Snowball Derby title in 2015. This happened after the original winner, Christopher Bell, was disqualified.

ARCA Menards Series Races

Elliott's 2013 ARCA car at Road America

Elliott raced in the ARCA Racing Series to get experience on bigger tracks. He competed in six races in 2012 and five in 2013. ARCA allows 17-year-old drivers to race at tracks like Pocono Raceway and Kentucky Speedway. These tracks usually require drivers to be 18 in NASCAR. On June 8, 2013, Elliott became the youngest winner in ARCA superspeedway history at Pocono Raceway.

NASCAR Journey

K&N Pro Series Races

Elliott signed a three-year contract with Hendrick Motorsports in February 2012. He raced in the K&N Pro Series East that year. He finished ninth in the season standings. Later in 2012, he won his first race in the series at Iowa Speedway. He ended up fourth in the championship standings.

Elliott also competed in three NASCAR K&N Pro Series West races. He raced at Phoenix Raceway in 2011 and twice in 2012. In his 2011 race, he finished third. In 2012, he finished 17th in one race after a crash and fourth in another.

Craftsman Truck Series Races

In January 2013, it was announced that Elliott would race in nine NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series events. These trucks were prepared by Turner Scott Motorsports for Hendrick Motorsports. Elliott earned his first NASCAR pole position at Bristol Motor Speedway. He became the youngest pole-sitter in Truck Series history.

Elliott won his first Truck Series race at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park. This was the first Truck Series road course race held outside the United States. He became the youngest winner in Truck Series history at 17 years, 9 months, and 4 days. This record was later broken in September 2014 by Cole Custer. Elliott's win was a bit controversial. On the last turn, he bumped leader Ty Dillon, causing Dillon to crash. Elliott recovered and crossed the finish line first. Dillon was very upset after the race. Elliott tried to apologize, but Dillon did not respond.

In October 2016, Elliott returned to the Truck Series at Martinsville Speedway. He drove the No. 71 truck and led 109 laps, finishing second. In 2017, Elliott joined GMS Racing and won a race at Martinsville. Three years later, he returned to the series with GMS Racing in the No. 24 truck. This was part of a challenge by Kevin Harvick to beat Kyle Busch in a Truck Series race. Elliott won the race, beating Busch and claiming the challenge prize.

In 2021, Elliott raced for GMS Racing at Texas Motor Speedway. In 2022, he drove the No. 7 truck for Spire Motorsports at the Bristol Dirt event. For the 2023 season opener at Daytona International Speedway, Elliott drove the No. 35 Chevy Silverado RST. He was filling in for Jake Garcia, who was too young to race. The race was shortened by rain, and Elliott finished 10th.

Xfinity Series Races

Elliott racing his Nationwide car at Road America in 2014

In January 2014, Elliott announced he would race full-time in the Nationwide Series. He drove the No. 9 Chevrolet for JR Motorsports. On April 4, 2014, Elliott won his first series race at Texas Motor Speedway. He held off Kevin Harvick and Kyle Busch. A week later, he won again at Darlington Raceway. He passed Elliott Sadler on the final lap. Elliott continued his success with a win at Chicagoland Speedway. He held off Trevor Bayne for the victory.

At Phoenix, Elliott won the Nationwide Series championship. He was 53 points ahead of his teammate Regan Smith. He became the first rookie and the youngest driver to win a NASCAR national series title. Elliott was also named the Nationwide Series Most Popular Driver.

In 2015, Elliott had his first DNF (Did Not Finish) after a crash at Daytona. On September 11, he ended a 36-race winless streak. He won his first race of the season at Richmond. He finished second in the championship standings. After moving to the Cup Series in 2016, Elliott still raced part-time in the Xfinity Series for JR Motorsports. He won the season-opening race at Daytona in 2016.

In 2018, he started the season driving the No. 88 car at Daytona. His teammate Tyler Reddick won in a very close finish. Elliott also drove the No. 23 car for GMS Racing in some races. In 2021, Elliott filled in for Michael Annett at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway road course. In 2022, he surprisingly did not qualify for the Darlington spring event. This was because qualifying was canceled due to rain. In 2024, Elliott drove the Hendrick Motorsports No. 17 car to victory at Charlotte.

Cup Series Races

On January 29, 2015, Hendrick Motorsports announced that Elliott would make his Sprint Cup Series debut. He would drive the No. 25 car in five races. The team also said Elliott would take over Jeff Gordon's famous No. 24 car starting in 2016.

Elliott's Cup Series debut at the STP 500 was uncertain due to possible rain. He needed to qualify because he didn't have owner's points. He secured a spot by being 27th fastest. During the race, he had problems with his car and finished 38th. On May 5, 2015, Elliott was announced to compete in the Sprint All-Star Race's Sprint Showdown. He finished 8th and 5th in the two parts of the event.

2016: Rookie Season Success

Elliott's No. 24 before the 2016 Daytona 500

Elliott began racing full-time in the Sprint Cup Series in 2016. He drove the No. 24 car, replacing Jeff Gordon. Elliott won the Rookie of the Year award that year. He beat other talented drivers like Ryan Blaney.

In his first Daytona 500, Elliott won the pole position. He was the youngest pole-sitter in the race's history at 20 years old. He led three laps but spun out and damaged his car. He finished 37th. The next week, Elliott got his first top-10 finish at Atlanta. At Las Vegas, he crashed and finished 38th. Despite some challenges, Elliott improved steadily. He had many top-10 finishes, including a 5th place at Texas and a 2nd place at Michigan. At Pocono, he led 51 laps, his most in a Cup race, and finished 4th. He also finished 2nd at Michigan again. Elliott made it into the Chase, a playoff system, as a rookie. He finished 10th in the final standings.

2017: Sophomore Season Challenges

Elliott battling Kyle Larson (No. 42) for the lead at Michigan

Elliott started 2017 by winning the pole for the Daytona 500 for the second year in a row. He also won the first Can-Am Duel race. This made him only the third driver in NASCAR history to win both the Daytona 500 pole and a qualifying race. At Martinsville, Elliott won Stage 2. However, his season had some tough moments. At Talladega, he was in a big 16-car crash where his car almost flipped. In June at Michigan, Elliott finished second for the third time in a row at that track.

On October 1, 2017, Elliott almost won his first career race at Dover. He led 138 laps, but Kyle Busch passed him with two laps left. Elliott finished second. After the race, Jeff Gordon, Elliott's mentor, confronted Ryan Newman for blocking Elliott. Later that season at Martinsville, Elliott was leading with four laps to go. But Denny Hamlin hit him from behind, causing him to spin out. Elliott was very frustrated and hit Hamlin's car after the race. Hamlin later apologized on Twitter.

At Phoenix, Elliott needed a win to advance to the championship race. He led 34 laps but finished second after Matt Kenseth passed him. He ended the season ranked 5th in the final standings.

2018: First Cup Series Wins

Elliott celebrating after winning the 2018 Go Bowling at The Glen

In 2018, Hendrick Motorsports changed Elliott's car number to No. 9. This honored his father, Bill Elliott, who used that number for most of his career. Elliott kept his crew, including crew chief Alan Gustafson. He did not win the Daytona 500 pole this year, ending his streak. However, he won the second Can-Am Duel, which helped him start in the second row for the Daytona 500. In the Daytona 500, he was caught in a crash and finished 33rd.

In April at Richmond, Elliott had his best finish of the season so far, placing second. This was his eighth second-place finish, just like his father before his first win. The next week at Talladega, Elliott started at the back but finished third. At Dover, he finished 12th. He then finished 12th at Kansas and 11th in the Coca-Cola 600. Elliott called the Pocono 400 his team's "best race of the year" so far, finishing 10th. At Sonoma, a track he found challenging, he finished fourth.

He won his first pole position of 2018 at Daytona. However, he was involved in a big crash and finished 34th. At the Go Bowling at The Glen, Elliott started third and won Stage 2. He led the final 33 laps to get his first career Cup Series victory. This win was special because it mirrored his father's career in many ways. Both drivers finished second eight times before winning. Both also got their first wins on road courses. His father, Bill, was even one of Chase's spotters during the race. This win was Hendrick Motorsports' 250th Cup Series win. Elliott also became the youngest driver to win on a road course.

Elliott made it into the 2018 playoffs. He won his second career race on October 7 at Dover. This secured his spot in the third round. After a wild final lap at Talladega, Elliott won again at Kansas. He held off Kyle Busch. He advanced to the Round of 8 but was eliminated after a late crash at Phoenix. Elliott finished the season sixth in the points standings.

2019: More Cup Series Success

Elliott's No. 9 at Daytona International Speedway in 2019

Elliott started the 2019 season by qualifying 18th for the Daytona 500. He was in a wreck on the last lap and finished 17th. The next week at Atlanta, he finished 19th. At Las Vegas, Elliott got his first top-10 finish of the season, placing ninth. He then finished second at Martinsville.

Elliott won his first race of the season at Talladega. A crash on the last lap ended the race under caution. Later in the year, he beat Martin Truex Jr. at Watkins Glen for the second year in a row. Elliott moved through the first round of the playoffs. He had a fourth-place finish at Las Vegas and a 13th at Richmond. He also had a dramatic win at the Charlotte Roval. During the Roval race, he hit the tire barrier while leading. But he used cautions to regain the lead and won his third race of the season. However, Elliott faced problems later in the playoffs. He finished 38th at Dover due to an engine problem. He made it to the Round of 8 after finishing second at Kansas. But he failed to reach the Championship 4 after crashing and finishing 39th at Phoenix.

2020: Cup Series Champion

Elliott after winning the 2020 NASCAR Cup Series Championship

Elliott started the 2020 season with a stage win and a 17th-place finish in the Daytona 500. The next week at Las Vegas, he won the first two stages. But he had a flat tire and crashed, finishing 26th. He then had three top-ten finishes in a row. He won the pole and led 93 laps at Phoenix, finishing seventh.

Elliott had some bad luck late in races. At Darlington, Kyle Busch turned Elliott while he was running second. Elliott then gave Busch a rude gesture. In the next race, the Coca-Cola 600, Elliott was leading late. A flat tire on his teammate's car caused a caution. Elliott's team pitted, dropping him out of the lead. He finished third, but was later moved to second. Elliott then won the Alsco Uniforms 500. However, his luck changed at Bristol. He was set to win but made contact with Joey Logano with three laps left. He finished 22nd.

In July, Elliott won the NASCAR All-Star Race at Bristol. He dominated the event, winning two stages and leading the final part. This made the Elliotts the second father-son duo to win the All-Star Race. A month later, Elliott won the first-ever Go Bowling 235 on the Daytona International Speedway road course. He led 34 laps and got his second win of the season. This was his third road course win in a row.

In the first playoff race, the Cook Out Southern 500, Elliott's car had a special paint scheme honoring Jimmie Johnson. Elliott was leading late when Martin Truex Jr. tried to pass him. They made contact, damaging both cars. Elliott finished 20th.

In the Bank of America Roval 400, Elliott had a very strong car. He won his fourth road course race in a row. This win made Elliott both the youngest and oldest driver to win at the Roval. Going into the Martinsville race, Elliott needed a win to make it to the Championship 4. He won Stage 2 and passed Martin Truex Jr. with 43 laps left to win the race. This secured his spot in the Championship Round at Phoenix.

Elliott started last in the Season Finale 500 because of a pre-race inspection issue. But he led 153 laps and won both the race and the championship. At 24 years old, he became the second-youngest driver to win a Cup Series championship. He and his father became the third father-son duo to win Cup Series titles.

2021: Title Defense and Rivalry

Elliott's No. 9 at Sonoma Raceway in 2021

The start of the 2021 NASCAR season was up and down for Elliott. He finished second in the Daytona 500. In the next race at the Daytona Road Course, he led much of the race. But a caution for rain and a spin dropped him to 21st. In May, Elliott won his first race of the season at the Circuit of the Americas. This win tied Hendrick Motorsports with Petty Enterprises for the most Cup wins by a team. It was also Chevrolet’s 800th Cup win. Elliott finished 13th at the first Ally 400 in Nashville. But he was disqualified for having loose lug nuts. He bounced back a few weeks later at Road America, winning another race. The season also had some heated moments. Elliott had a rivalry with Kevin Harvick at the Bristol Night Race. Their rivalry continued at the Charlotte Roval. Harvick intentionally wrecked Elliott, but then Harvick crashed out of the race himself.

At the Xfinity 500, Elliott won both stages. This earned him enough points to get into the NASCAR Cup Series Championship Race. He competed against teammate Kyle Larson and Joe Gibbs Racing drivers Denny Hamlin and Martin Truex Jr.. Elliott finished fifth, which was the lowest among the four championship contenders. He did not win the title that year.

2022: Regular Season Champion

Elliott's No. 9 car at Sonoma Raceway in 2022

Elliott started the 2022 season with a 10th-place finish in the Daytona 500. In his second race at California, his teammate Kyle Larson made contact with him. This sent Elliott into the wall, and he finished 26th. Despite this, Elliott had 10 top-15 finishes in a row. This included a 4th place at Circuit of the Americas, a pole win and 10th place at Martinsville, and his first win of the season at Dover. After Darlington, Elliott had a tough time. He finished 29th at Kansas after losing a tire. He crashed out of the All-Star Race. He also crashed in the Coca-Cola 600 after leading many laps. He finished 21st at Gateway after contact with Ross Chastain.

After an 8th-place finish at Sonoma, Elliott had a great run of five straight finishes of 1st or 2nd. He won his second race of the season at Nashville. At Road America, Elliott led many laps but finished 2nd. He then won a dominant victory at Atlanta. He won both stages and led 96 laps for his third win of the season. This made him and his father, Bill, the second father-son duo to win at Atlanta. At New Hampshire, Elliott finished 2nd. He then finished 3rd at Pocono. But he was later given his fourth win when Denny Hamlin and Kyle Busch were disqualified.

After good finishes at Richmond and Watkins Glen, Elliott won the 2022 NASCAR regular-season championship. In the last regular-season race at Daytona, Elliott led many laps. But he was in a big crash caused by rain and finished 29th.

At the Southern 500, Elliott finished 36th after a crash. However, he bounced back with an 11th-place finish at Kansas and a second-place finish at Bristol. This secured his spot in the Round of 12. On October 2, Elliott won his second career race at Talladega. This put him in the Round of 8. It was his fifth win of the season, matching his best year from 2020. Elliott's championship hopes ended at the Phoenix finale. He finished 28th after being spun by Ross Chastain. He finished fourth in the points standings.

2023: Injury and Missing Playoffs

Elliott’s No. 9 car at Auto Club Speedway in 2023

Elliott started the 2023 season with a 38th-place finish at the Daytona 500. But he bounced back with a strong second-place finish at Fontana a week later. On March 3, 2023, Josh Berry was announced as the substitute driver for the No. 9 car. This was because Elliott broke his leg while snowboarding in Colorado. On March 15, the No. 9 team received a penalty for an unapproved part on the car. This penalty did not affect Elliott’s driver points because he was injured. Elliott returned to the No. 9 car at Martinsville, where he finished 10th.

Later, at Charlotte, Elliott was involved in an incident with Denny Hamlin. In response, Elliott intentionally hit Hamlin's car, causing both to crash. As a result, NASCAR suspended Elliott for one race. Corey LaJoie filled in for him at Gateway. Despite his efforts, Elliott could not win a race to make up for the ones he missed. This caused him to miss the playoffs for the first time in his Cup Series career.

2024: A Strong Comeback

Elliott competing in the 2024 Toyota/Save Mart 350 at Sonoma Raceway.

Elliott started the 2024 season with a 14th-place finish in the Daytona 500. On April 14, he won at Texas. This ended a 42-race winless streak for him. This win was also special because it was Hooters' first as a sponsor since Alan Kulwicki's championship in 1992. However, it was Elliott's only win of the season. He did not qualify for the Championship 4. During the playoffs, Elliott did not win any races. But he had four top-three finishes. A crash at Las Vegas led to his elimination after the Round of 8. He finished seventh in the points standings. On July 1, Hendrick Motorsports announced they would no longer partner with Hooters.

2025: New Victories

In 2025, Elliott started the season with a victory at the Cook Out Clash. He began the regular season with a 15th-place finish at the 2025 Daytona 500. He stayed consistent throughout the year. He earned his 20th career victory at Atlanta after passing Brad Keselowski on the final lap.

Other Racing Adventures

In 2021, Elliott raced in the 24 Hours of Daytona for the first time. He drove a Cadillac for Action Express Racing. Even though his team started on pole, they had many mechanical problems. The race ended early for them due to a gear failure.

Elliott has also competed in the Superstar Racing Experience (SRX) twice. In the 2021 season finale at Nashville Fairgrounds Speedway, he started fourth. He battled his father, Bill, and passed him to win the race. This was only the second time the father and son raced against each other. In the 2022 season finale at Sharon Speedway, Elliott won his second heat race. He then won the main event after a close race with Tony Stewart.

Motorsports Career Summary

Career Overview

NOTE: The asterisk denotes Elliott won a Daytona 500 qualifying race, which counts as a stage win for championship purposes (ten points) but not a playoff point.

NASCAR Race Results

(key) (Bold – Pole position awarded by qualifying time. Italics – Pole position earned by points standings or practice time. * – Most laps led.)

Cup Series Results