NASCAR

Elliott drives from back of the field to first NASCAR title

Published

5 years ago

November 9, 2020

AVONDALE, Ariz. (AP) — The new face of NASCAR circled Phoenix Raceway for a celebratory lap of his finest achievement. Chase Elliott, NASCAR’s most popular driver, was now a Cup champion, too.

He came upon teammate Jimmie Johnson, who banged doors with Elliott. Then the seven-time champion, in his final race, gave Elliott a fist bump.

The torch has officially been passed.

This is NASCAR’s Camelot.

Elliott did what Dale Earnhardt Jr. could not and parlayed the popularity gleamed off his Hall of Fame father into a NASCAR championship. The son of “Awesome Bill from Dawsonville” Georgia solidified himself as the new face of Hendrick Motorsports, of Chevrolet and of NASCAR on the day the greatest driver of this generation called it a career.

Elliott drove from the back of the field to victory lane at Phoenix to win for Hendrick and Chevrolet, which had been shut out of the title race since Johnson won his seventh and final crown in 2016.

“I just never would have thought that this year would have gone like it has,” Elliott said. “I mean, NASCAR Cup Series champion, are you kidding me? Unreal.”

He shared a long hug with Johnson, who joined Elliott for the victory celebration.

“Oh my gosh, I mean, to share a moment like that, Jimmie’s last race, to win and lock the championship,” said Elliott, “those are moments you can only dream, you know, and this is a dream.

“Just hoping I don’t ever wake up.”

Elliott’s car failed pre-race inspection and the penalty cost him the pole when he was sent to the rear. But he raced his way through traffic in the first stage and then took control of the championship. Elliott led seven times for a race-high 153 laps.

Johnson finished fifth — his best result since August — in his final ride in Hendrick’s No. 48 Chevrolet.

“My heart is full,” said Johnson, who is tied with Hall of Famers Richard Petty and Dale Earnhardt with seven titles. His 83 victories rank sixth on the career wins list and his stretch of five consecutive titles from 2006-2010 is a NASCAR record.

Asked what he will remember about his 686th race, Johnson said it will be Elliott’s breakthrough.

“Chase Elliott won his first championship. I’m so happy for that guy,” he said. “I can recall going snowboarding with Bill out in Colorado and Chase was maybe 8 years old on skis, super quiet, wouldn’t say much.

“To watch him grow up and to be around him and to give him some advice from time to time has really been meaningful for me. I think more about him winning a championship more than anything.”

Elliott, who turns 25 later this month, has followed his father’s footsteps. Bill Elliott won the 1988 championship and 16 times was voted by the fans NASCAR’s most popular driver.

Chase Elliott became the fan favorite in 2018 after Earnhardt Jr. retired. He’s the first most popular driver to win the championship since his father won his only title.

The Elliotts joined Lee and Richard Petty and Ned and Dale Jarrett as just the third father-son combination to win a NASCAR Cup title. The Elliotts, along with Hall of Famer Tim Flock, are the only three drivers from Georgia to win the title.

Hendrick Motorsports extended its NASCAR record with a 13th championship.

Elliott passed Joey Logano with 42 laps remaining and pulled away in a race Elliott controlled even as the four title contenders ran 1-2-3-4 most of the afternoon. Elliott had charged through the field during the first stage to clump the four contenders in the winner-take-all season finale.

It was Elliott’s fifth win of the season, trailing only Kevin Harvick (nine) and Denny Hamlin (seven). Elliott’s win at Martinsville last week not only locked him into the final four, but eliminated regular-season champion Harvick.

“I felt like we took some really big strides this year, and last week was a huge one,” said Elliott, who also won the All-Star race at Bristol. “To come out of that with a win and a shot to come here and have a chance to race is unbelievable.”

Elliott beat Brad Keselowski, who was followed by Team Penske teammate Logano and then Hamlin, who is now 0 for 4 in title races. Hamlin is considered along with Hall of Famer Mark Martin the best driver without a Cup title.

“No one has won more than we have over the last two years. Pretty proud what this team is doing,” Hamlin said. “We’ll come back and do it again next year.”

Hamlin was the only driver among the final four not to lead a lap at Phoenix, where he won last November.

Logano led 125 laps, but most of them early.

“It stings not winning, I’m not going to lie. It hurts,” he said.

Keselowski had been holding out hope for a late caution to set up a short sprint to the finish, which is how both the Truck Series and Xfinity Series titles were decided the previous two nights.

“I would have loved to have raced it out,” Keselowski said. “We just didn’t get any yellows.”

The race had just four total cautions, three of them scheduled breaks. It made Elliott’s coronation look easy.

The race completed NASCAR’s frenzied 38-race schedule that was overhauled because of the pandemic. The season was suspended five days after NASCAR raced at Phoenix in March, a race won by Logano, and the engines idled for 10 weeks.

But facing crippling financial losses to the teams and the industry, NASCAR was one of the first sports to resume competition. NASCAR went racing again May 17 and used doubleheaders, midweek races and a massive scheduling shuffle to complete the season for all three of its national series.

For the finale, the first one at NASCAR’s owned and remodeled Phoenix Raceway, NASCAR loosened its “bubble” and allowed families and guests for the first time since, well, the last time they raced at Phoenix. The post-race celebration was the first time Johnson had seen Rick Hendrick, his boss of 20 years, since March.

“If you can get through a year like this and you’re NASCAR, certainly it bodes well,” Keselowski said. “I thought it was really amazing what the sport was able to achieve, that we were able to get all the races in. To be here today and have a great race for a championship, I think that’s really impressive.”

Auto Racing

Chris Buescher Wins, Bubba Wallace Clinches Playoffs at Daytona’s Coke Zero 400

Published

3 years ago

August 27, 2023

Mike Brodsky

Photo Credit: Rafael Crisostomo

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (Florida National News) – Chris Buescher has won the Coke Zero 400 at Daytona International Speedway, and Bubba Wallace has secured the 16th and final spot in the NASCAR Cup Series playoffs. This will be Wallace’s first time racing for a championship.

Chris Buescher in Victory Lane after the Coke Zero 400. Photo Credit: Mike Brodsky (Florida National News)

Wallace had entered the race in 16th place, but a victory from a driver below the cut line could have knocked him out of the playoffs. An early accident took out several drivers including Ty Gibbs, Ryan Blaney, and several others. A spectacular crash late in the race by Ryan Preece had him flipping at least ten times over the grass. Fortunately, he was able to exit the vehicle.

Bubba Wallace clinches Playoffs. Photo Credit: Mike Brodsky (Florida National News)

The sixteen drivers in the Playoffs include the points leaders William Byron, Martin Truex Jr., Denny Hamlin, Chris Buescher, Kyle Busch, Kyle Larson, Christopher Bell, Ross Chastain, Brad Keselowski, Tyler Reddick, Joey Logano, Ryan Blaney, Michael McDowell, Ricky Stenhouse Jr., Kevin Harvick, and Bubba Wallace.

NASCAR’s first Playoffs Round of Sixteen race takes place next weekend at Darlington, Sunday, September 3rd. Each three-week round of the playoffs will reduce the field by four drivers, leading up to the Season Finale on Sunday, Nov. 5th at Phoenix Raceway, featuring the final four drivers competing for the NASCAR Cup Series championship.

Be sure to stay tuned to Florida National News (www.FloridaNationalNews.com) and Florida Sports Channel (www.FloridaSportsChannel.com) for more.

Auto Racing

Last Chance For NASCAR Playoffs at Coke Zero 400 in Daytona

Published

3 years ago

August 25, 2023

Mike Brodsky

Photo Credit: Mike Brodsky (Florida National News)

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (Florida National News) – NASCAR fans are already packing the Daytona International Speedway as the regular season comes to its finale Saturday, August 26, with the Coke Zero 400. While fifteen drivers have already secured a spot in the playoffs, the 16th is still up for grabs based on the race results.

Fans at Daytona International Speedway. Photo Credit: Mike Brodsky (Florida National News)

The fifteen drivers who are already guaranteed a spot in NASCAR’s first Playoffs Round of Sixteen race at Darlington, Sunday, September 3rd include the current points leaders Martin Truex Jr., Denny Hamlin, William Byron, Christopher Bell, Kyle Larson, Brad Keselowski, Chris Buescher, Ross Chastain, Ryan Blaney, Kevin Harvick, Kyle Busch, Tyler Reddick, Joey Logano, Ricky Stenhouse Jr. and Michael McDowell. The top two drivers, Truex and Hamlin, will compete Saturday night to win the Regular Season Championship. There are seventeen drivers who are competing at the Coke Zero 400 for that final spot in the postseason. Bubba Wallace is currently in 16th place, and could clinch with 24 points. Ty Gibbs and Daniel Suárez could clinch with enough points to pass Wallace or with a victory. AJ Allmendinger, Alex Bowman, Chase Elliott, Austin Cindric, Justin Haley, Ryan Preece, Aric Almirola, Todd Gilliland, Corey LaJoie, Erik Jones, Austin Dillon, Harrison Burton, Chase Briscoe and Ty Dillon need to win on Saturday night to secure their spot in the playoffs.

Bubba Wallace competes for a spot in the Playoffs. Photo Credit: Mike Brodsky (Florida National News)

Each three-week round of the playoffs will reduce the field by four drivers, leading up to the Season Finale on Sunday, Nov. 5th at Phoenix Raceway, featuring the final four drivers competing for the NASCAR Cup Series championship. Joey Logano is the reigning champ after winning in Phoenix last season.

The action begins Saturday night at 7:00 p.m. Be sure to stay tuned to Florida National News (www.FloridaNationalNews.com) and Florida Sports Channel (www.FloridaSportsChannel.com) for more.

Entertainment

Multi-Platinum Country Artist Chase Rice to Perform Saturday Night Infield Concert at Talladega Superspeedway During NASCAR Playoffs Weekend

Published

4 years ago

August 11, 2022

FNN NEWS

Country star Chase Rice. Photo via NASCAR.

TALLADEGA, Ala. – Talladega Superspeedway is proud to announce that multi-Platinum singer-songwriter Chase Rice, who also has NASCAR ties, will be the featured artist for the track’s traditional Saturday Night Infield Concert, Oct. 1, during an exciting NASCAR Playoffs weekend, featuring the YellaWood 500.

Rice will take the stage at NASCAR’s “Party Capital” just hours after the conclusion of the Sparks 300 (NASCAR Xfinity Series) and Chevy Silverado 250 (NASCAR Camping World Truck Series) races, and the night before the YellaWood 500 NASCAR Cup Series event (Sunday, Oct. 2). It will mark the second time that Rice has performed at the biggest and baddest race track on the planet (spring of 2015). The best part about the concert is that admission is FREE with the purchase of a Sunday race ticket for the YellaWood 500. Breakout country artist Bailey Zimmerman will open the anticipated night.

“We are thrilled to have Chase Rice back with us at Talladega Superspeedway for our popular Saturday Night Infield Concert,” said Talladega Superspeedway Chairman Brian Crichton. “We have amazing fans, and knowing what an incredible entertainer Chase is, everyone in attendance is going to have an incredible time. Chase will continue the tradition in our world-famous infield, and it’s one fans will not want to miss.”

With more than 2.3 million albums sold and over 2.3 billion total streams, plus a legion of passionate fans at his high-energy concerts across the globe, Rice has established himself as a powerful force in Nashville and beyond. With a forthcoming album crafted in his rural Tennessee home-turned-studio, his sound continues to evolve to reflect the realities of his life, as evidenced by recent single “If I Were Rock & Roll” and his latest release, “Key West & Colorado.” The new music serves as a follow up to his three-part project, The Album, featuring his latest Platinum-certified No. 1 hit, “Drinkin’ Beer. Talkin’ God. Amen. (featuring Florida Georgia Line)” and Platinum-certified Top 10 hit “Lonely If You Are.”

This is the same gravelly-voiced Chase Rice fans first fell in love with years ago – but better. Freer. Unbeholden and uninhibited, somehow capable of evoking Chris LeDoux and The Chronic, campfire singalongs and stadium anthems, all at once. The new music builds upon the success of his sophomore album, Lambs & Lions, which featured the Triple-Platinum, two-week chart topper “Eyes On You” – Rice’s first No. 1 as an artist and the most-streamed song of his career.

In addition to a hugely successful music career, Rice also has an athletic background as a former linebacker at the University of North Carolina, and was a part of the sport of NASCAR, serving as a rear tire carrier for the Hendrick Motorsports team pit crew before moving to Nashville to pursue music full-time.

Warner Music Nashville / Elektra Music Group breakout country artist Zimmerman is following an explosive trajectory after an unexpected, whirlwind rise. His undeniable smash “Fall In Love” features Zimmerman’s “blistering…effortlessly gritty, fervent vocal” (Billboard). The song is currently racing up the country radio charts and multiple all-genre Billboard charts, having already charted at No. 1 on Apple Music’s Top Country Songs chart and SiriusXM The Highway’s Top 30 Countdown earlier this year.

A victory by a playoff eligible driver in any of the trio of October events will make it to the next round of their respective NASCAR Playoffs series. The YellaWood 500 will serve as the second race in the Round of 12 and will feature NASCAR’s ’Next Gen’ car. Bubba Wallace is the defending Champion of the YellaWood 500. Brandon Brown won last year’s Xfinity Series race while Tate Fogleman took the top honors in the Camping World Truck Series race.

Guests attending the weekend can be immersed into the sport of NASCAR by being a part of the Talladega Garage Experience, which gives the ability to be up-close to NASCAR’s top drivers and teams via a fan walkway under the same roof as the NASCAR Cup Series garage bays. For all race weekend ticket information, log onto www.talladegasuperspeedway.com.

Fans are encouraged to keep up with all the happenings at the biggest, baddest race track on the planet by following Talladega Superspeedway on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram, as well as the all-new NASCAR Tracks App. for the latest speedway news.

Follow Chase Rice at:
Facebook: www.facebook.com/chasericemusic

Twitter: @chasericemusic

Instagram: @chaserice

TikTok: @chasericemusic