Chase Elliott’s driving prowess started showing at a very young age. A second-generation driver and the son of the legendary Bill Elliott, Chase was already a Pro Late Model Series star at the young age of 16. But how did he land a deal with the winningest team in NASCAR? Recently, in a conversation with veteran journalist Bob Pockrass, the Dawsonville native shed light on a crucial meeting with the HMS boss several years ago.
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Back in February 2011, Elliott received a phone call from NASCAR Hall of Famer Rick Hendrick, who offered him a contract with Hendrick Motorsports, while the latter was still a high school freshman. Needless to say, the encounter remains fresh in Elliott’s memory. Mr. Hendrick had personally gone to pick him and his dad from the airport, and that impressed Elliott the most.
“He just said ‘you want to talk,’ and he showed us around the building,” Elliott said. “We went inside his man-cave in here. Got to look at all his cars and we toured every piece of the shop. Went through the engine shop. Went through what used to be the chassis transfer shop, and body shop over there.”
At 18, Elliott became the youngest champion in any NASCAR national series by winning the 2014 Xfinity Series championship driving for JR Motorsports, which then used to be affiliated with Hendrick Motorsports. Later in January 2015, HMS announced that Elliott would be joining the Cup Series the following year.
Rick Hendrick’s cordiality drew Elliott right in
Hinting at how down-to-earth his boss is, Elliott admitted that Hendrick had talked to a 16-year-old Elliott the same way as he would talk to anybody else in his office. And that memory is something that the Chevy star will always keep close to his heart.
“I just appreciated how personal it was,” said the #9 driver. “I’m sure he’s got much better things to do. Around this facility, you know, I had no business doing that. He had much better things to worry about. So I appreciate that.”
Mr. H wasn’t wrong in recognizing Elliott’s talent. Elliott started his debut Cup season with a blast and became the youngest driver to win the prestigious Daytona 500 pole award at just a little over 20 years of age. With Alan Gustafson as his crew chief, Elliott bagged 10 top-five finishes, 17 top-10s, and two pole wins. Moreover, he also became the first rookie to punch a spot in the round of 12 that year.
