TALLADEGA, Ala. – Following Chase Elliott’s dramatic finish at Talladega Superspeedway on Sunday, he took some time to thank the people who have supported him throughout his career – his fans.
After his race to the finish line just ahead of his teammate, Alex Bowman, Elliott proceeded to celebrate Hendrick Motorsports’ first win of the season with a burnout. The fans were going wild right along with him as the No. 9 Mountain Dew/Little Caesars Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 danced around the finish line. The roars of the crowd, cheering for the Dawsonville, Georgia native, made it obvious he was a favorite at the track.
“I'll forever remember getting out of the car and experiencing that,” Elliott said. “There's nobody to thank but the folks watching for that moment, making me feel special. It being close to home had a lot to do with that, I think. They made me feel at home today, which was pretty cool.”
The race marked the first victory for Elliott since his last win in 2018 at Kansas Speedway in October. The driver has now won four times in the past 25 races, with his fans supporting him the entire way. He was overwhelmed by their reaction on Sunday.
“I honestly can't describe it to you,” Elliott said. “After the race was over, just kind of the way it ended, I was in ‘la la land’ down there when I was looking for the checkered flag. Every time I stood up, the crowd stood up. Every time I got fired up, they got fired up. That's something you can't ever take for granted.”
The driver made sure to take a moment to soak in the feeling of the win, saying he would remember the aftermath for the rest of his life.
“It's days like today, those moments, that you'll cherish and never forget,” he expressed. “Certainly, I won't. These races are too hard to win to not enjoy those moments.”
Elliott was also able to share the win with his mother and grandmother, who were in attendance for the win. His dad, NASCAR Hall of Famer Bill Elliott, saw two of the No. 9 team driver's wins in 2018, but he joked that his mom "got to one-up him today."
Having family at the track along with the raucous fan support made the win at the Alabama track extra special.
“I was blown away,” he said. “Just the post-race was unbelievable. I've never had a crowd just felt like – in the palm of your hands is how it felt. You get excited, they get excited. You walk, they don't say anything. You pump your arms up, they get pumped up. That's just something that I've never really experienced. That's one of the coolest moments, I feel like, of my racing career.”