9 CHASE ELLIOTT
Age: 25 (Nov. 28, 1995)
Hometown: Dawsonville, Georgia
Resides: Dawsonville, Georgia
Crew Chief: Alan Gustafson
Standings: 3rd
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No. 9 NAPA AUTO PARTS Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 1LE
PARTY LIKE AN ALL STAR: Last season at Bristol Motor Speedway, Chase Elliott drove his No. 9 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 1LE to take the checkered flag after dominating the field during the 2020 NASCAR All-Star Race. Elliott won stages two and three before crossing the finish line first in the final stage to earn the $1 million prize. The victory was the first All-Star Race win for Elliott and crew chief Alan Gustafson. The driver of the No. 9 was the third-youngest all-star winner at 24 years, 5 months, 17 days. Elliott is also one of three Hendrick Motorsports drivers to win the exhibition race and the NASCAR Cup Series championship in the same year. The others are Jeff Gordon (1995, 1997 and 2001) and Jimmie Johnson (2006 and 2013).
FATHER-SON DUO: With Elliott’s 2020 victory, he and his father, NASCAR Hall of Famer Bill Elliott, joined Dale Earnhardt and Dale Earnhardt Jr. as the only father-son combinations to win the NASCAR All-Star Race. The Elliotts have won the only two all-star events not held at Charlotte Motor Speedway – Bill Elliott won it driving his No. 9 car at Atlanta Motor Speedway in 1986 when he led all but one of 83 laps.
ALL-STAR STATS: Elliott, driver of the No. 9 NAPA AUTO PARTS Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 1LE, heads into his sixth career NASCAR All-Star Race locked into the main event. He secured his way into last year’s show with his win at Charlotte (May 2020). Elliott’s 2020 NASCAR Cup Series championship and All-Star Race win have locked him into the event for life under current rules. In his five previous All-Star Race starts, he has a 6.6 average finish – tied for the second-best of active drivers with at least two starts.
LONE STAR STATE STATS: Elliott has made 10 NASCAR Cup Series start at Texas Motor Speedway. Although Sunday’s race is not for points, Elliott has garnered two top-five finishes, five top-10s and led a total of 44 laps in those previous starts. He collected his first career NASCAR Xfinity Series victory at the 1.5-mile track in April 2014. In five Xfinity Series starts there, Elliott accumulated three top-five finishes and five top-10s.
DOUBLE DUTY: In addition to his full-time duty driving the No. 9 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 1LE in the Cup Series, Elliott will compete in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series race in the No. 24 A SHOC Chevrolet Silverado for GMS Racing on Saturday at Texas Motor Speedway. This event will be A SHOC’s first primary NASCAR race.
CHECK OUT THAT CAN: Last week, A SHOC announced the release of Elliott’s signature can that will commemorate the 2020 NASCAR Cup Series champion. The limited-edition can features Elliott celebrating alongside the No. 9 A SHOC Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 1LE that he will pilot next month at Atlanta Motor Speedway and in the playoff race at Talladega Superspeedway.
ALL-STAR RACING: Hendrick Motorsports has won the exhibition event a record nine times with four different drivers: Jimmie Johnson (four victories), Jeff Gordon (three), Terry Labonte (1999) and defending winner Chase Elliott (2020). Hendrick Motorsports also holds the All-Star Race records for starts (115), top-five finishes (39), top-10s (64) and laps led (775).
LARSON MAKES 22: At Texas, Kyle Larson will become the 22nd Hendrick Motorsports driver to appear in the NASCAR All-Star Race. He will join Gordon (22 starts), Johnson (19), Labonte (11), Dale Earnhardt Jr. (10), Ken Schrader (seven), Kasey Kahne (six), Elliott (five), Ricky Rudd (five), Geoff Bodine (five), Darrell Waltrip (four), Alex Bowman (three), Mark Martin (three), William Byron (two), Casey Mears (two), Kyle Busch (two), Brian Vickers (two), Joe Nemechek (two), Jerry Nadeau (two), Ricky Craven, Benny Parsons, and Tim Richmond.
FOUR STARS: On Sunday, Hendrick Motorsports will have all four of its Chevrolets appear in the NASCAR All-Star Race for the 20th time. Including 2021, the team has put four cars into the field in 18 of the last 20 years and has placed at least three in the All-Star Race for a record 22 consecutive seasons.
CARRYING MOMENTUM: Hendrick Motorsports is on a roll heading into the all-star break. The organization has won four consecutive points-paying NASCAR Cup Series races, sweeping at least the top-two positions in each, leading 842 of 946 laps (89%) and recording an average result of 5.7. Its finishes include 1-2-3-4 at Dover, 1-2-8 at Circuit of The Americas, 1-2-4-5 at Charlotte Motor Speedway and 1-2-9 at Sonoma Raceway. At NASCAR’s top level, no team has ever finished in both the first and second positions in five consecutive points races.
TMS EXPRESS: Although Texas Motor Speedway will host its first NASCAR All-Star Race this Sunday, Hendrick Motorsports has plenty of history at the venue. With nine points-paying wins, the team is tied with Joe Gibbs Racing and Roush Fenway Racing for the track record.
Chase Elliott, driver of the No. 9 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 1LE, on strategy for the All-Star Race: “With this year’s format, there’s obviously a lot going on. I think it’ll be hard to play games to try and set yourself up for the next round; that may end up hurting you more than helping. It’s going to be one of those deals where you just have to race as hard as you can the whole time and let the inverts play out on their own. I think it will be entertaining for the fans and hopefully we can put on a good show. I know I’ve said it before, but I am happy to see the All-Star Race moving around to different tracks. I think it’s a race that is meant to change locations.”
Alan Gustafson, crew chief of the No. 9 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 1LE, on the All-Star Race at Texas: “The All-Star Race is always an exciting event, and the new format is sure to add even more excitement. We are still figuring it all out. There are a lot of unknowns with it that we will all just roll with as the come. It will be a challenge, but we are really looking forward to it.”
TIL NEXT TIME, I AM STILL WORKING ON MY REDNECK!
