Hendrick Motorsports star Chase Elliott is set to make his 300th NASCAR Cup Series appearance at Charlotte in this Sunday’s Coca-Cola 600. The 2020 champion won the Xfinity Series with JRM in 2014 and joined Rick Hendrick’s team in 2016 as a full-time driver. Ahead of the milestone race, Elliott expressed gratitude to Mr. H and expressed his desire to retire at Hendrick Motorsports when everything is done and dusted.
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“This has been the only home I have ever known in my NASCAR career, which is really cool. I owe everything I have to Rick (Hendrick), the opportunities and my life, just every bit. It’s been a lot of fun. To be able to call one place home and drive for one guy is a big deal to me,” said the #9 driver, who has won six consecutive Most Popular Driver awards since 2018.
After impressive showings in the Xfinity Series, Elliott received his first big opportunity after Jeff Gordon retired in 2015, replacing the four-time Cup champion in 2016. In his first year, Elliott impressed, winning the Rookie of the Year on the back of 10 top-5s and a Daytona 500 pole.
“The week between Martinsville (Speedway) and Phoenix (in 2020) was just wild. Just how fast everything shifted from being on the outside looking in to going to Phoenix and having a shot,” said Elliott, reflecting on his 2020 championship, where he won three of the last five races, including the Championship 4 decider at Phoenix.
In his 299 races, Elliott has 19 wins, 98 top-five finishes, 12 poles, and has reached the Championship 4 in three years (from 2020 to 2022). This week, the Georgia native has to tackle the Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte, which has been a tricky race over the years, with none of his three top-5s converting into wins.
“It is such a long race and a lot can happen in 600 miles. I would just like to have a good, clean race and log a lot of laps and make it to the end,” said Elliott, who crashed early during each of the last two editions of the race.
The #9 driver endured his worst season in 2023, going winless and missing the playoffs for the first time in his career. This year though, Elliott has caught form, with one win and five top-5s putting him fourth in the regular season standings after 13 races in the season.
With his spot virtually sealed in the playoffs, the HMS driver will look to collect more stage points, something that is extremely helpful during the business end of the playoffs.
