9 CHASE ELLIOTT
Age: 25 (Nov. 28, 1995)
Hometown: Dawsonville, Georgia
Resides: Dawsonville, Georgia
Crew Chief: Alan Gustafson
Standings: 7th
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No. 9 Hooters Throwback Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 1LE
2021 RUNDOWN: The NASCAR Cup Series season has crossed the 11-race mark of the 2021 season and Chase Elliott, driver of the No. 9 Hooters Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 1LE, has posted four top-five finishes – two of which are runner-up results, five top-10s and has led a total of 76 laps. He has one stage win and has spent 667 laps inside the top five and 1,620 laps running in the top 10.
LAST YEAR AT DARLINGTON: Elliott and the No. 9 team showed speed in all three events last year at Darlington. In those events, he led a total of 142 laps – the third-most of all drivers. During the first race on May 17, the 25-year-old driver overcame a speeding penalty to collect a fourth-place finish – a career best at the South Carolina venue. On May 20, Elliott finished in the top 10 in both stages and led 28 laps before being spun out by a competitor while running second on the final green-flag lap of the rain-shortened event, relegating him to a 38th-place finish. Finally, on Sept. 6, Elliott led 114 laps before finishing 20th after suffering damage from an accident with Martin Truex Jr. while battling for the lead in the closing laps.
‘TOO TOUGH TO TAME’ STATS: Elliott is set to make his ninth NASCAR Cup Series start at Darlington Raceway this weekend. In his previous races at the 1.366-mile track, he has two top-five finishes and three top-10s. Elliott also has three NASCAR Xfinity Series starts at the South Carolina venue, where he won in his 2014 track debut. He is one of only four drivers to win at Darlington in their first race there.
GUSTAFSON AT DARLINGTON: No. 9 team crew chief Alan Gustafson has called 19 Cup Series races at Darlington. Leading five different drivers, he’s collected one win, four top-five results and seven top-10s. Gustafson’s Darlington win came in 2009 with veteran Mark Martin, the second-oldest driver (50 years, 4 months) to win at the track.
WELCOME BACK, HOOTERS: On Sunday at Darlington, Hooters will make its 2021 season debut on the No. 9 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 1LE with the Hooters Throwback paint scheme. A casual dining establishment with a deep history in NASCAR, the Atlanta-based company will be a three-race primary sponsor of the No. 9 team this year. Elliott will also pilot the No. 9 Hooters Chevrolet later this season at the Indianapolis Road Course and in the NASCAR Cup Series playoffs at Bristol Motor Speedway.
HONORING A CHAMPION: Earlier this year, Elliott revealed the No. 9 Hooters Throwback paint scheme he will drive this weekend at Darlington. The design honors Alan Kulwicki, who drove the Hooters look in 1992 when he won the NASCAR Cup Series title. Click here to check out the scheme.
NEXT GEN REVEAL: On Wednesday, Elliott participated in the Next Gen car unveil in Charlotte, North Carolina. Click here to learn more about the unveil for next year’s fleet of race cars.
30-FOR-30: At Darlington Raceway this Sunday, Hendrick Motorsports is looking to secure a 30th consecutive top-10 finish in the NASCAR Cup Series. Chase Elliott (fifth) and William Byron (ninth) both finished in the top 10 at Kansas Speedway last weekend, extending a streak of at least one Hendrick Motorsports driver posting a top-10 result to 29 straight races. Team Penske ranks second with eight consecutive top-10s.
DARLINGTON THROWBACK: On May 12, 2012, Jimmie Johnson won at Darlington Raceway to capture Hendrick Motorsports’ 200th NASCAR Cup Series victory. Overall, a record-tying six different drivers have combined for Hendrick Motorsports’ record number of 14 victories at the 1.366-mile track: Jeff Gordon (seven), Johnson (three), Terry Labonte (one), Mark Martin (one), Tim Richmond (one) and Ricky Rudd (one). The organization holds the record for most drivers to win for a team at a track with eight different Hendrick Motorsports drivers victorious at Charlotte Motor Speedway.
MOTHER’S DAY: The last NASCAR Cup Series race held on Mother’s Day was won by four-time NASCAR Cup Series champion Gordon. Originally scheduled for Saturday, May 12, the Hendrick Motorsports driver led the final 22 laps in the event delayed one day due to weather.
ONE (MORE) FOR THE RECORD BOOKS: Three different Hendrick Motorsports drivers have gone to victory lane in the first 11 races of 2021, marking only the 10th time in NASCAR Cup Series history a team has done so. Hendrick Motorsports also accomplished it in 2007 and 2009, while Joe Gibbs Racing did so in 2016, 2019 and 2021. Other teams with three different winners in the first 11 events: Team Penske in 2021; Roush Fenway Racing in 2005, Peter DePaolo Racing in 1957 and Carl Kiekhafer Racing in 1956. The earliest in a single season a team has won with four different drivers is race No. 12 by Hendrick Motorsports in 2007 and JGR in 2016.
TWO TO TIE: Hendrick Motorsports entered the 2021 season within striking distance of one of stock car racing’s most enduring achievements: Petty Enterprises’ all-time team record for NASCAR Cup Series victories. The legendary Petty organization captured the wins record from Carl Kiekhafer Racing more than 60 years ago when Lee Petty took the checkered flag at Orange Speedway on May 29, 1960, for the team’s 53rd victory. Its 268th and most recent win was delivered by driver John Andretti on April 18, 1999. Hendrick Motorsports has earned 266 points-paying Cup Series wins since Rick Hendrick founded the team in 1984 and currently needs just three to break the record at NASCAR’s highest level.
Chase Elliott, driver of the No. 9 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 1LE, on Darlington: “I enjoy Darlington. I am a performance guy so if it goes well, I probably liked it that trip and if it didn’t, then I probably don’t. Last year, I feel like we had a solid run and had a shot at it there at the end. Martin (Truex Jr.) and I ended up wrecking coming to the closing 10 laps for the lead. I was definitely playing defense, he was on me and was making a good run. So there’s room for improvement, obviously. You want to be fast enough where that guy behind you is nowhere close. That’s where I want to be and that’s how you want to position yourself at the end of those races, if you can. We can definitely be better, but I was pleased with our speed last year. We had some really good runs and were certainly solid, so we have something good to build off of.”
Elliott on coming to Darlington for Throwback weekend: “I think it’s such a great event. I’ve enjoyed the vibe around it and the throwback schemes are all pretty cool. We are looking forward to running the Alan Kulwicki Hooters paint scheme this year. I know Hooters has been excited to do this scheme for a while so it’s great to see it come to life.”
TIL NEXT TIME, I AM STILL WORKING ON MY REDNECK!
