Everything to Know About NASCAR Driver Chase Elliott
Who needs to stand in your dad’s shadow when you can stand in your own spotlight?
You don’t get voted by fans as “NASCAR’s Most Popular Driver” for nothing. Just ask Chase Elliott, the mild-mannered Georgia native that’s again favored to win this year’s award for an eighth consecutive time.
Like his father Bill Elliott – who’s affectionately known as “Awesome Bill from Dawsonville” and cruised his way to the same moniker a record 16 times before taking his name off the ballot – there’s an undeniable magnetism to Chase. And like his dad, as he heroically showed this past weekend in Atlanta with a brilliant last lap pass on Brad Keselowski to punch his playoff ticket, the 2020 Cup Series champion is one hell of a wheelman too.
Who is Chase Elliott?
Chase Elliott was born November 28, 1995, in Dawsonville, Georgia. Considering his dad was a two-time Daytona 500 winner and Hall of Famer, there was no escaping a NASCASR destiny for Chase. By the time he was 15 years old, Elliott was already diversifying his success with 12 wins in 40 events across multiple series. He won the acclaimed Winchester 400, then outdid himself by becoming the youngest winner of the Snowball Derby (16).
As his success continued to ramp up with late models on short tracks, Elliott also raced in the ARCA Menards Series, making history in 2013 at Pocono after he became the youngest winner in ARCA superspeedway history. That year, Elliott also began competing in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series for Hendrick Motorsports. In his 18 total races on the circuit, he’s reached the checkered flag three times while notching an impressive 15 Top-10’s.
Chase Elliott's Xfinity and Cup Series history
In 2014, Elliott began driving the No. 9 Chevrolet in the Xfinity Series (then the Nationwide Series) for JR Motorsports and quickly earned his first win four months later at Texas Motor Speedway after preventing veterans Kevin Harvick and Kyle Busch from taking the lead. Clearly a force to be reckoned with, Elliott kept his foot on the gas in his inaugural season, becoming the first rookie and youngest driver ever to win a national series title in NASCAR. To date, Elliott’s won six times and amassed 71 Top-10 finishes in the 87 Xfinity Series races he’s competed in.
Despite his early accomplishment, Elliott’s true calling has always been to find success in NASCAR’s top flight, and the 2020 Cup Series winner has done just that. Joining the elite circuit full-time in 2016, Elliott drove Jeff Gordon’s iconic No. 24 and eventually replaced the legendary Gordon after he retired. Despite cobbling together a pair of forgettable seasons to kick off his career, Elliott’s first win at The Glen was as memorable as it gets. It marked the 250th win for Hendrick Motorsports; it was a road win, mirroring his dad’s inaugural victory; and when he ran out of gas on his victory lap, Elliott got a push from none other than teammate and racing legend Jimmie Johnson.
“Jimmie has been one of my heroes for a long, long time,” Elliott said, per HMS. “He's been a big supporter of mine too which is pretty neat.”
Elliott steadily built on his success the following year, scoring three wins and 11 top-five finishes in 2019, but multiple mishaps in the postseason prevented him from reaching the next level. That was not the case in 2020. Leading a total of 952 laps, he notched five wins and 15 Top-5 finishes en route to hoisting the Bill France Cup. He earned the regular season title in 2022, but a snowboarding injury followed by a suspension for retaliating against Denny Hamlin derailed his 2023 season.
Looking for a fresh start and a bounce back in 2024, Elliott scored Top-5 finishes at Richmond and Martinsville before snapping a 42-winless streak with his victory at Texas. Sadly, it was his only win of the season and despite some strong driving down the final stretch of the playoffs, his 11 Top-5 finishes would only power him to seventh place.
Now, after jettisoning away from a pack of worthy contenders on the last lap to steal the Quaker State 400 from Brad Keselowski, NASCAR’s perennially most popular wheelman is now locked into the 2025 NASCAR Cup Series Payoffs and doesn’t have to face the impending tumult destined for the final eight weeks of the regular season.
With that monkey off his back and upcoming road courses on the menu, Elliott’s ready to kick some asphalt and prepare for what matters the most – winning another chip.
What kind of car does Chase Elliott drive?
Chase Elliott currently drives the No. 9 Chevrolet ZL1 for Hendrick Motorsports in the NASCAR Cup Series, and he competes part-time in the Xfinity Series, piloting the No. 17 Chevrolet SS also for HMS.
His competition wheels are pretty slick, but the real goodies he keeps at home, even if he’s not a car collector by any means. While navigating his busy NASCAR season, Elliott rides in a decked out 47-ft luxury Prevost motorhome. File it away as “wings” because Elliott’s splashiest form of transportation he owns isn’t a car at all – it’s a jet. Boasting both speed and comfort, the 29-year-old airman recently purchased a 2013 Cessna CJ3 for a whopping $5.69 million, which he flew to New Orleans in February for the Super Bowl.
The NASCAR Cup Series makes it way to USA Network on August 3 with the Iowa Corn 350 Powered by Ethanol. Coverage then shifts to NBC on August 23 for the Coke Zero Sugar 400. The remainder of the post-season will air on USA Network except for the final two playoff races and the NASCAR Cup Series Championship in Phoenix, Arizona, which will air on NBC. To find out more, please check local listings and the Cup Series schedule.
