Without a doubt, Chase Elliott is the most loved and the most popular driver in NASCAR today, a position his father Bill Elliott also held in the sport in his day. And apart from the popularity factor, the Dawsonville natives have also proved to be pretty terrific and successful behind the wheel of a racecar.
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Yet this makes one wonder if Chase Elliott can outdo his father’s achievement in NASCAR.
Taking a look back in time, the Hendrick Motorsports star’s father, fondly known as Awesome Bill from Dawsonville, was one of the most loved and cherished drivers in NASCAR. Bill won the Cup Series (Winston Cup) title only once in his career and that was back in 1988 and holds 44 wins in that series throughout his career. Among other interesting records, he also holds the fastest qualifying speed at Daytona and Talladega.
Meanwhile, Elliott too holds one championship to his name, which he won back in 2020, equaling his tally of titles with his father. In terms of total wins in the series, Chase has a tally of 18 at the moment. But considering that he still has several years remaining in his career, there is a solid chance for him to reach or perhaps even overtake his father’s total win tally as well as win one more, if not a few more Cup titles.
Chase Elliott follows in father’s footsteps with sixth consecutive NASCAR award
One of the more intriguing records held by Bill Elliott is the fact that he won the Most Popular Driver award in NASCAR 16 times from the 1984 to 1988 seasons. Then again from 1991–2000. Finally, after winning for the 16th time in 2002, Elliott decided to remove his name from the ballot.
In a somewhat similar pattern, his son Chase also seems to be heading down the same trajectory. The HMS driver went on to grab his sixth consecutive Most Popular Driver Award this year, despite having the worst Cup Series season across his career.
However, knowing Elliott, he will come back stronger next season and continue to fight for more wins and more championships as time progresses. And perhaps, one day, he might even surpass his father’s achievements in the sport.
