9781422270776

BUBBA WALLACE CHASE ELLIOTT DENNY HAMLIN KEVIN HARVICK KYLE BUSCH KYLE LARSON RYAN BLANEY

Stock Car Racing ’ s Best Drivers

Jeremy Pike

MASON CREST MIAMI

PO Box 221876, Hollywood, FL 33022 (866) MCP-BOOK (toll-free) • www.masoncrest.com

Copyright © 2024 by Mason Crest, an imprint of National Highlights, Inc. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, taping, or any information storage and retrieval system, without permission from the publisher.

First printing 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

ISBN (hardback) 978-1-4222-4739-6 ISBN (series) 978-1-4222-4737-2 ISBN (ebook) 978-1-4222-7077-6

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Names: Pike, Jeremy (Sportswriter), author. Title: Chase Elliott / Jeremy Pike.

Description: Hollywood, FL : Mason Crest, [2024] | Series: Superstars of the speedway. Stock car racing’s best drivers | Includes QR codes and third-party content. | Includes bibliographical references and index. Identifiers: LCCN 2023010948 | ISBN 9781422247396 (hardback) | ISBN 9781422270776 (ebook) | ISBN 9781422247372 (series) Subjects: LCSH: Elliott, Chase, 1995---Juvenile literature. | Stock car drivers--United States--Biography--Juvenile literature. | Automobile racing drivers--United States--Biography--Juvenile literature. | Stock car racing--United States--Biography--Juvenile literature. Classification: LCC GV1032.E45 P55 2024 | DDC 796.72092 [B]--dc23/eng/20230407 LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2023010948

Developed and Produced by National Highlights, Inc. Editor: Andrew Luke Production: Crafted Content, LLC (www.craftedcontentllc.com)

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Chapter 1: Greatest Moments --------------------------------- 07 Chapter 2: The Road to the Top --------------------------------21 Chapter 3: Victory Lane - -------------------------------------- 33 Chapter 4: Under the Hood ----------------------------------- 47 Chapter 5: Off the Track --------------------------------------- 63 Series Glossary of Key Terms ---------------------------------- 74 Further Reading ------------------------------------------------ 76 Internet Resources --------------------------------------------- 77 Index - ---------------------------------------------------------- 78 Author Biography & Credits ----------------------------------- 80 CONTENTS KEY ICONS TO LOOK FOR Words to Understand: These words with their easy-to-understand definitions will increase the reader’s understanding of the text while building vocabulary skills. Sidebars: This boxed material within the main text allows readers to build knowledge, gain insights, explore possibilities, and broaden their perspectives by weaving together additional information to provide realistic and holistic perspectives. Educational Videos: Readers can view videos by scanning our QR codes, providing them with additional educational content to supplement the text. Examples include news coverage, moments in history, speeches, iconic sports moments, and much more!

Text-Dependent Questions: These questions send the reader back to the text for more careful attention to the evidence presented there.

Research Projects: Readers are pointed toward areas of further inquiry connected to each chapter. Suggestions are provided for projects that encourage deeper research and analysis. Series Glossary of Key Terms: This back-of-the book glossary contains terminology used throughout this series. Words found here increase the reader’s ability to read and comprehend higher-level books and articles in this field.

WORDS TO UNDERSTAND

accumulating: gathering, adding up annals: historical records racked: caused to suffer torture, pain, anguish, or ruin runner-up: second place at the finish

6

Superstars of the Speedway: Chase Elliott

Chapter 1

Greatest Moments

One could argue that William Clyde “Chase” Elliott II was born to be a race car driver. He is the son of NASCAR Hall of Fame driver William Clyde “Bill” Elliott and was born on November 28, 1995, in Dawsonville, Georgia. The Elliott family name is a legendary one in NASCAR circles, and Chase Elliott has done quite well to keep the tradition alive. Elliott started officially racing at age eight behind the wheel of a go-kart, but he spent years before that at NASCAR tracks following his father’s exploits. It wasn’t long before the younger Elliott was paving his own way as a race car driver, earning victories in every type of car he climbed into. In 2013, Elliott capped off a career accomplishment in super late model racing. He became the first driver to complete the “Grand Slam” of super late model cars after finally winning the All American 400 at the Nashville Fairgrounds Speedway. He had already won the 2011 edition of the Snowball Derby, the 2010 Winchester 400, and the 2013 World Crown 300. Elliott’s short-track success evidently caught the eye of 2017 NASCAR Hall of Fame car owner Rick Hendrick because, in early 2011,

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Greatest Moments

Elliott signed a developmental deal with Hendrick Motorsports at the age of 15. Clearly, having a NASCAR icon like Bill Elliott for a father helps matters, but it was obvious that Chase Elliott knew how to drive a race car better than a lot of people around him. That talent propelled him from starting in the K&N Pro Series in 2011 to making his full-time debut in the Cup Series in 2016 for Hendrick. Since then, Elliott has taken the NASCAR Cup Series by storm, with more than 100 Top 10 finishes (including more than a dozen wins) and a Cup Series championship under his belt. Yet, no one can claim that Elliott has coasted on his father’s name. He’s won championships and set records of his own while continuing his father’s NASCAR legacy. Here is a look at some of Chase Elliott’s greatest career moments and accomplishments so far.

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Superstars of the Speedway: Chase Elliott

GREATEST

MOMENTS

9

Greatest Moments

FIRST CUP SERIES WIN It took 99 races and eight runner-up finishes, but Elliott finally found his way to Victory Lane as a Cup Series driver in 2018, his third full season on the circuit. Elliott’s breakthrough came at the legendary road course at Watkins Glen International. He nearly gave up the lead when he went wide going into turn one after taking the white flag, indicating one lap to go. That mistake gave Martin Truex Jr. a small window to take the lead. However, Elliott was able to recover and keep his car just in front of Truex Jr. Elliott was the dominant driver on the day, leading 52 of the 90 laps, including the final 34. Once again, the siren at the Dawsonville Pool Room rang out for an Elliott victory in the Cup Series.

Chase Elliott’s first Cup Series win came at Watkins Glen International.

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Superstars of the Speedway: Chase Elliott

2020 NASCAR CUP SERIES CHAMPION In 2020, a year in which the world was racked by a pandemic that affected every part of life, including sports, Elliott followed in his father’s footsteps by becoming a Cup Series champion. He was the third-youngest Cup Series champion in NASCAR history and second youngest in the modern era behind the great Jeff Gordon. This marked only the third time in Cup Series history that a father son duo had won the championship. The Elliotts joined Lee and Richard Petty and Ned and Dale Jarrett in the NASCAR annals after the 2020 season. Other father-son duos that picked up top-three NASCAR championships include Dale Earnhardt and Dale Earnhardt Jr. (Jr. won an Xfinity/Nationwide title) and David and Larry Pearson (Larry Pearson won two Xfinity/Nationwide titles). Elliott finished the 2020 season with five wins, 15 Top 5 finishes, and finished 22 times in the Top 10, which represents more than half the season’s races. He capped it off by winning the season finale at Phoenix Raceway.

Chase Elliott’s post-race interview at Phoenix Raceway on winning the Cup Series championship.

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Greatest Moments

FIRST NATIONWIDE SERIES WIN Elliott’s first win in a Nationwide Series car came only six races into his 2014 rookie season at Texas Motor Speedway, and it helped catapult him to the series title. He won the Go Bowling at the Glen event over a field stacked with competitors, including Cup Series veterans Kyle Busch, Kevin Harvick, Dale Earnhardt Jr., Regan Smith, and Matt Kenseth, along with soon-to-be Cup Series regulars Kyle Larson, Ryan Blaney, and Ty Dillon. Despite the stacked field, Elliott tied for second with 38 laps led and won by more than two and a half seconds. Elliott’s car came into its own in the second half of the race. All 38 of the laps he led came in the later stages, starting with Lap 122, before retaking the lead for good from Harvick on Lap 185. Elliott drove for JR Motorsports, the developmental team run by Earnhardt Jr. with support from Hendrick Motorsports.

Chase Elliott’s first Xfinity Series win at Texas Motor Speedway.

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Superstars of the Speedway: Chase Elliott

2014 NATIONWIDE SERIES CHAMPION Six years before Elliott became the third-youngest Cup Series champion, he became the youngest driver to win a NASCAR national series championship when he took home the Nationwide Series championship (it became the Xfinity Series in 2015). Elliott also set another record in 2014, becoming the first driver to win the championship and be named Rookie of the Year in the same season. While Elliott’s debut was decent with a 15th-place finish at Daytona International Speedway, he quickly found his groove around the track with seven-straight Top 10 finishes. That streak included his first series win at Texas Motor Speedway in the sixth race of the season. That first win was immediately followed by his second win of the season at Darlington Raceway. Elliott picked up one more win that season to go with 16 total Top 5s and 26 Top 10 finishes. All this happened while Elliott was only 18 years old and finishing high school.

Chase Elliott’s post-race interview after winning the Nationwide Series championship.

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Greatest Moments

CUP SERIES DEBUT The year after Elliott won the Nationwide Series championship, Hendrick Motorsports gave him a taste of the Cup Series in five races during a part-time stint in the 2015 season, starting at the STP 500 at Martinsville Speedway. The result on the track left a lot to desire. Elliott’s car suffered damage to the radiator and power steering, as well as to the car’s body, from two separate accidents but he was able to get back on the track and finish the race. Elliott became the 12th-youngest driver to race in the Cup Series (at that point) with more than half a year remaining until his 20th birthday. He was the youngest driver to debut since Joey Logano raced as an 18 year old in 2008. Elliott’s next three races would yield better results with Top 20 finishes, but Martinsville was where Elliott first got behind the wheel of a Cup Series car in competition. Suffice it to say, he’s come a long way since that race.

Denny Hamlin holds on to win the 2015 STP 500. As the graphic at :45 seconds shows, it was a rough NASCAR Cup Series debut for Chase Elliott.

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Superstars of the Speedway: Chase Elliott

REPLACING A LEGEND When Elliott made the transition to full-time Cup Series driver, he had some pretty big shoes to fill. He would be behind the wheel of the No. 24 car, one of the most iconic cars of the last two decades in NASCAR. Jeff Gordon won four Cup Series championships driving the No. 24 Chevy for Hendrick Motorsports before announcing his retirement following the 2015 season. While the sponsor would change with NAPA Auto Parts continuing their sponsorship of Elliott, the No. 24 number carried a lot of weight in the Cup Series. Gordon appeared in 805 races and won 93 times, including those four championships. While Elliott never won in the No. 24, he had two good seasons, accumulating a total of 38 Top 10s across the 2016 and 2017 seasons. Then team owner Rick Hendrick would make a switch prior to the 2018 season, drawing on both NASCAR’s and Elliott’s personal history.

Chase Elliott on stepping into the No. 24.

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Greatest Moments

RETURNING TO THE FAMILY NUMBER

Bill Elliott made the No. 9 an iconic number in NASCAR through the 1980s and 1990s into the early 2000s. It was also the number that Chase Elliott drove at every chance, including for his first two seasons in a Nationwide Series car. In 2018, the younger Elliott got to climb back behind the wheel of the No. 9 in the Cup Series, bringing the legendary number and last name together again. It took 15 years from father Bill winning his last race in 2003 until the No. 9 Chevy with an Elliott at the wheel returned to Victory Lane, but the legend of the Elliotts and the No. 9 continues. The legendary run of Most Popular Driver Awards continues as well. Bill won the award a record 18 times in his career, including a stretch of 10 consecutive years. After the 2021 season, Chase won the award for his fourth straight year. There’s just something that people love about an Elliott driving the No. 9 car.

Watch Bill Elliott discuss his and Chase’s legacy in the No. 9.

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Superstars of the Speedway: Chase Elliott