It took 99 races and over two-and-a-half years of competing full-time in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series, but Chase Elliott scored his coveted first career victory on Aug. 5 at Watkins Glen International — a race in which he dominated.
Prior to securing his first victory, Elliott joined his father, Hall of Famer Bill Elliott, on the all-time ranks of most second-place finishes (eight) without grabbing that elusive first checkered flag. But on that warm, sunny day at that famed upstate New York road course, Elliott silenced his critics, edging out 2017 Cup champion Martin Truex Jr. to the finish line.
Elliott had led 974 laps, posting 27 top-five and 48 top-10 finishes before entering the Winners Circle in NASCAR’s premier series. But once he got there, it was tough to get rid of the No. 9 car.
In a season where Chevrolet was down across the board after introducing the Camaro ZL1 to Cup, Elliott’s second-half of the seasons soar was one to be remembered. Why? Because he was the Most Popular Driver and finally having success in the top division of motorsports. More on that in a minute.
How down was Chevrolet? In the first 21 races of the season, going from coast to coast, hitting all regions of the United States multiple times, it only had one victory as a manufacture, and that was a desperate last-lap pass by Austin Dillon, when he turned Aric Almirola as the field entered Turn 3.
Fast forward nearly six months. Half of a calendar year. Elliott brought the ‘ole No. 9 to Victory Lane.
Was it a surprise that the Dawsonville native’s first win was on a road course? Maybe. But flashback to 2013 when the Camping World Truck Series took to Canadian Tire Motorsport Park. It was Elliott that found Victory Lane, though not without controversy, spinning Ty Dillon on the last lap. That was Elliott’s first win in that series.
Hell, flash back to 1983, when his own fleshing blood won its first race at Riverside International Speedway, another road course. We all know how Bill’s career spiraled upward after that win. 44 victories at the Cup level and a 16-time Most Popular Driver, securing the 1988 championship.
It just depends on how you feel about numbers and history, but it’s kind of ironic that Elliott’s first career win came on a road course and he had eight second-place finishes, just like his father. Maybe it’s a coincidence. Maybe it’s not.
Elliott entered the 2018 postseason with a batch of momentum, posting six consecutive top-10 finishes between New Hampshire Motor Speedway and Darlington Raceway, the longest such streak he had throughout the season. Then the regular season finale at Indianapolis came, and Hendrick Motorsports looked to be off yet again.
When the playoffs got underway at Las Vegas Motor Speedway in mid-September, the No. 9 car started off with a bang, literally. When running sixth on lap 211, Jamie McMurray spun in front of Elliott. The No. 9 “barely clipped” the No. 1 machine, ending his shot at a solid finish. Because of the hit to the outside wall, the third-year driver yelped on the radio about a possible shoulder injury. He was fine.
The series went to Richmond Raceway for the second race of the postseason and Elliott finished fourth. In the final race in the Round of 16, he tried to back up his Watkins Glen performance on the Charlotte ROVAL, but that race was a crapshoot to begin with, since it was the first Cup event on the layout. The No. 9 car finished sixth.
But it was the Round of 12 that saw Elliott become an elite driver. Kevin Harvick dominated at Dover International Speedway, but had an issue on pit road late in the race. Almirola was in the catbird seat, but was called to pit road during a late caution. Elliott was not, as his crew chief Alan Gustafson decided not to pit with 11 laps remaining.
In a pair of late-race restarts, Elliott schooled the competition, edging out Denny Hamlin and Joey Logano to win at Dover — his second victory in nine races, clinching an automatic berth into the Round of 8.
Talladega is Talladega, and Elliott was caught up in a crash, but the following week at Kansas Speedway was another standout performance by the No. 9 team.
It was almost like it was the same song, different verse. Harvick was dominant again, though this time had a late-race speeding penalty. Elliott jumped out front, this time holding off Kyle Busch and Kyle Larson for the race win. Three wins in 11 races for Elliott, and again, momentum had been built.
However, the Round of 8 didn’t go as planned, despite two finishes inside the top seven. At ISM Raceway, he was involved in a multi-car incident that started when Hamlin got into Kurt Busch, sending the No. 41 into the wall, ricocheting into Elliott.
So yeah, Elliott’s championship hopes went up in smoke for the second consecutive season in the desert, but he’s leaps and bounds ahead of where he was heading into the off-season last year. Three wins, 21 top 10s, leading 325 laps, finishing sixth in points, all of which came in a down year for Chevrolet. Not all career-highs, in fact multiple career lows, but you’ve got to think entering his fourth full season, Elliott will be among the championship favorites heading into 2019.
Hands-down Elliott was the best Chevrolet for the duration of the 2018 season, though Larson had flashes of brilliance, including six runner-up finishes. But it was Elliott that carried the banner for the bow-tie.
And, oh yeah, he just turned 23-years-old.
In present day NASCAR where drivers are rushed to the Cup Series — it took three years before he won, but Elliott has matured before our eyes as one of the top stars in all of stock car racing. His career will likely span through at least 2035, he will likely win multiple championships, but at a ripe age of 23, Elliott is destined for success now.
Halfway through summer, many people were wondering “are we going to go another year of Chase not winning a race?” He answered that at the Glen, and boy when he took the lead, the grandstands were a shakin’. He’s beloved by so many fans and was rewarded at the championship banquet in late November where he was crowned Most Popular Driver. But that was a given.
Popularity can’t win Elliott races, but he and the No. 9 team can. Welcome to the Chase Elliott era, folks.
Prediction: Elliott wins the most races in the Cup Series in 2019.
Be the first to comment