CONCORD, N.C. -- Chase Elliott received a priceless piece of hardware on Tuesday. In front of Hendrick Motorsports employees, the 25-year-old driver was presented with his 2020 NASCR Cup Series championship ring.
The ceremony was the icing on the cake for Elliott, who is coming off his first win of the season at Circuit of The Americas. The driver of the No. 9 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 1LE not only won the inaugural event at the road course, but he earned Hendrick Motorsports its 268th win, tying Petty Enterprises with the most Cup wins ever. The victory also marked Chevrolet’s 800th win in the series. Elliott thanked the Hendrick employees, stating that his success is because he has such a sturdy team in his corner.
“It’s about you guys,” Elliott said. “Only a handful of us get to go to the track, be on TV and get interviews and talk, but there’s an awful lot more of you guys here that put in the time and effort to ultimately have what we have on Sundays. I’m greatly appreciative of it and can’t say enough about everybody’s great timing for this event.”
The Hendrick Motorsports teammates celebrated with food trucks and watching the No. 9 crew roll out one of Elliott’s NAPA AUTO PARTS Chevrolets for the event. Crew chief Alan Gustafson also was on hand to receive his ring and thank his teammates for their hard work and dedication.
“I want to say, personally, thank you guys for everything you do,” Gustafson said to his teammates. “It’s not about me, it’s about you, about what you guys have made happen. … It’s something that, personally, I’ve strived for my whole career – to win a championship. I can tell you from a crew chief’s perspective, it’s not an easy thing to do.
"What makes it so sweet for me is it was a long time coming and it’s with my friends and family who I love to be around. You guys are the best when we rally together and believe in each other and work together, there’s nothing we can’t do.”
Always looking forward, Elliott will do his best to repeat as a Cup Series champion. With his win at COTA, he’s fifth in the Cup Series standings and already has six top-five finishes at eight top-10s in just 14 races this season.
“Last year was great; I couldn’t have dreamt it up any better,” Elliott said. “It was amazing and thank you for the rings – they are beautiful. Thank you for all the effort in that. I’m looking forward to the rest of the season, so let’s keep after it and keep the hammer down.”