Chase Elliott facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Chase Elliott |
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Elliott at Las Vegas Motor Speedway in 2024
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| Born | William Clyde Elliott II November 28, 1995 Dawsonville, Georgia, U.S. |
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| Achievements | 2020 NASCAR Cup Series Champion 2022 NASCAR Cup Series Regular Season Champion 2014 Nationwide Series Champion 2020 NASCAR All-Star Race Winner 2011, 2015 Snowball Derby Winner 2016, 2017 Daytona 500 Pole Winner 2017, 2018 Can-Am Duel 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) |
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| 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 |
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| NASCAR Cup Series career | |||||||
| 322 races run over 10 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 | 2024 Autotrader EchoPark Automotive 400 (Texas) | ||||||
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| NASCAR Xfinity Series career | |||||||
| 85 races run over 9 years | |||||||
| 2024 position | 80th | ||||||
| Best finish | 1st (2014) | ||||||
| First race | 2014 DRIVE4COPD 300 (Daytona) | ||||||
| Last race | 2024 Sport Clips Haircuts VFW 200 (Darlington) | ||||||
| First win | 2014 O'Reilly Auto Parts 300 (Texas) | ||||||
| Last win | 2024 BetMGM 300 (Charlotte) | ||||||
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| 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) | ||||||
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| Signature | |||||||
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| Statistics current as of November 10, 2024. | |||||||
William Clyde "Chase" Elliott II (born November 28, 1995) is an American professional stock car racing driver. He races full-time in the NASCAR Cup Series for Hendrick Motorsports. Chase drives the No. 9 Chevrolet ZL1 car.
Chase made history in 2014 by winning the NASCAR Nationwide Series championship. He was the first rookie and the youngest driver ever to win a national series title in NASCAR.
In 2016, Chase started racing full-time in the NASCAR Cup Series. He took over the famous No. 24 Chevrolet from racing legend Jeff Gordon. That same year, he won the Rookie of the Year award. In 2020, Chase won the Cup Series championship in Phoenix, Arizona. This was a big win for Hendrick Motorsports. So far, Chase has won 19 Cup Series races. Seven of these wins were on road courses.
Chase is the son of 1988 Winston Cup Series champion Bill Elliott. They are one of only three father-son duos in NASCAR history to both win championships. The other duos are Lee and Richard Petty, and Ned and Dale Jarrett.
Contents
Chase Elliott's Racing Journey
Starting Young in Racing
Chase Elliott started racing at a very young age. When he was 13, Sports Illustrated magazine featured him as a potential future star. In 2010, Chase raced in 40 events. He won 12 of them and finished in the top ten 38 times. He also won several championships that year.
In 2011, Chase won the National Super Late Model championship. Soon after turning 16, he became the youngest winner of the famous Snowball Derby race. In 2012, he won the Alan Turner Snowflake 100 for the second time. This race is a warm-up for the Snowball Derby.
In 2013, Chase won the All American 400. This made him the first driver to win all four major short-track races in the U.S. He won the All American 400, the Snowball Derby, the World Crown 300, and the Winchester 400. In 2015, he won the Snowball Derby again after the original winner was disqualified.
Racing in ARCA Menards Series
Chase raced in the ARCA Racing Series to get more experience on bigger tracks. He competed in six races in 2012 and five in 2013. ARCA rules allow 17-year-old drivers to race at some tracks where NASCAR requires drivers to be 18. On June 8, 2013, Chase became the youngest winner in ARCA superspeedway history at Pocono Raceway.
NASCAR Racing Series
K&N Pro Series Races
In 2012, Chase joined the K&N Pro Series East. He finished ninth in the season standings. Later that year, he won his first race in the series at Iowa Speedway. He ended up fourth in the championship.
Chase also raced in three NASCAR K&N Pro Series West events. He finished third in one race in 2011. In 2012, he placed 17th in one race and fourth in another.
Craftsman Truck Series Races
In 2013, Chase raced in nine NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series events. He earned his first NASCAR pole position at Bristol Motor Speedway. This made him the youngest pole-sitter in Truck Series history.
Chase won his first Truck Series race at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park. He was 17 years old, making him the youngest winner in Truck Series history at the time. This record was later broken in 2014. In 2017, Chase won another Truck Series race at Martinsville.
In 2020, Chase returned to the Truck Series. He won a race at Charlotte, beating Kyle Busch. This win was part of a special challenge where a Cup Series driver could earn a reward for beating Kyle Busch.
Xfinity Series Races
In 2014, Chase raced full-time in the Nationwide Series for JR Motorsports. On April 4, 2014, he won his first series race at Texas Motor Speedway. A week later, he won again at Darlington Raceway. He also won at Chicagoland Speedway.
At Phoenix Raceway, Chase won the Nationwide Series championship. He was the first rookie and the youngest driver to win a NASCAR national series title. He was also named the Nationwide Series Most Popular Driver.
In 2015, Chase won his first race of the season at Richmond Raceway. He finished second in the championship standings that year. After moving to the Cup Series in 2016, he continued to race part-time in the Xfinity Series. He won the season-opening race at Daytona in 2016. In 2024, Chase won an Xfinity Series race at Charlotte.
Cup Series Races
In 2015, Hendrick Motorsports announced that Chase would make his Sprint Cup Series debut. He raced in five events that year. The team also shared that Chase would take over Jeff Gordon's famous No. 24 car starting in 2016.
Chase's first Cup Series race was at Martinsville. He started 27th but had some issues during the race. He finished 38th.
2016: Rookie Season Highlights
Chase became a full-time Sprint Cup Series driver in 2016. He drove the No. 24 car, replacing Jeff Gordon. Chase won the Rookie of the Year award that season.
In his first Daytona 500, Chase won the pole position. He was the youngest pole-sitter in the race's history at 20 years old. He had a great rookie season with many top-10 finishes. He finished second twice at Michigan. Chase also qualified for the Chase, which is NASCAR's playoffs. He finished 10th in the final standings.
2017: Sophomore Season Moments
Chase started 2017 by winning the pole for the Daytona 500 for the second year in a row. He also won a qualifying race for the Daytona 500. He finished second three times that season, including at Dover and Phoenix. At Martinsville, he was close to winning but was spun out with three laps left. Chase finished 5th in the final standings.
2018: First Cup Wins and Milestones
In 2018, Chase's car number changed from No. 24 to No. 9. This honored the number his father, Bill Elliott, used for most of his career. Chase won his first Cup Series race at Watkins Glen. He led the last 33 laps to get the win. This win was special because it was Hendrick Motorsports' 250th Cup Series victory. Chase also became the youngest driver to win on a road course.
Chase won two more races in 2018, at Dover and Kansas. He made it to the Round of 8 in the playoffs. He finished sixth in the points standings.
2019: Continuing Cup Series Success
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Chase started 2019 with a ninth-place finish at Las Vegas. He earned his first win of the season at Talladega. He won again at Watkins Glen for the second year in a row. Chase also won a dramatic race at the Charlotte Roval. This was his third win of the season. He finished 10th in the final standings.
2020: Becoming a Cup Series Champion
The 2020 season was a huge year for Chase. He won the NASCAR All-Star Race at Bristol. He then won his third straight road course race at the Daytona Road Course. This made him the driver with the highest winning percentage on road courses.
Chase needed to win the race at Martinsville to make it to the Championship 4. He did just that, securing his spot in the final race at Phoenix. In the Season Finale 500 at Phoenix, Chase started last. But he led 153 laps and won the race and the championship! At 24 years old, he became the second-youngest Cup Series champion. He and his father became the third father-son duo to win Cup Series titles.
2021: Defending His Title
Chase started 2021 with a second-place finish in the Daytona 500. He got his first win of the season at the Circuit of the Americas. This win was special because it tied Hendrick Motorsports for the most Cup wins by a team. It was also Chevrolet's 800th Cup win. He won again at Road America.
Chase made it to the Championship Race again. He finished fifth in the final race, but his teammate Kyle Larson won the championship.
2022: Regular Season Champion
In 2022, Chase had a strong season. He won his first race at Dover. He then won at Nashville and Atlanta. His win at Atlanta made him and his father, Bill, the second father-son duo to win at that track. He was also awarded a win at Pocono after other drivers were disqualified.
Chase won the 2022 NASCAR regular-season championship. He secured his spot in the Round of 8 by winning at Talladega. He finished fourth in the points standings at the end of the season.
2023: Challenges and Missing the Playoffs
The 2023 season was tough for Chase. He fractured his leg while snowboarding and missed several races. He returned to racing at Martinsville. Later, he was suspended for one race after an incident with Denny Hamlin. Because he missed races and didn't win, Chase did not make the playoffs for the first time in his Cup Series career.
2024: A Comeback Year
Chase started the 2024 season with a 14th-place finish in the Daytona 500. On April 14, he won at Texas, ending a 42-race winless streak. This was his only win of the season, and he did not qualify for the Championship 4.
Other Racing Adventures
In 2021, Chase raced in the 24 Hours of Daytona. This is a very long endurance race. His team started on the pole position, but they had mechanical problems.
Chase has also competed in the Superstar Racing Experience (SRX). In 2021, he won the season finale race at Nashville. He even beat his father, Bill, in that race! In 2022, Chase won another SRX race at Sharon Speedway.
Images for kids
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Chase Elliott's signature
See also
- List of NASCAR Xfinity Series champions
- List of people from Georgia (U.S. state)
