Chase Elliot’s “humbling” welcome home
Announcements, Community, Election 2020, Feature News, Featured, Featured Stories November 9, 2020
Chase Elliot arrived in his hometown of Dawsonville to celebrate his NASCAR Cup Series. It was just yesterday that Chase earned his first championship cup win.
Chase is currently known as NASCAR’s most popular driver – a very cool thing to share, Chase said. Since it is Chase’s first championship, it means a lot to him as well as the town of Dawsonville.
“There’s no other driver that would come home to a situation like this,” Chase said. “This community is so supportive of what we do. I really respect the racing history in our family…what else could you ask for? I’m honored, humbled and glad to be home.”
Chase’s father – Bill Elliot – has continued the legacy, with Bill also being a championship winner. Chase is the third-youngest Cup Series champion alongside Bill Rexford in 1950 and Jeff Gordon in 1995.
Michael Garrett, family member of the Dawsonville Pool Room was excited to have Chase back in his hometown to celebrate, as did the other residents.
“I don’t know how many hometowns have a parade the day after they have somebody win a championship,” Garrett said. “This is unreal for the community and for us as a whole; especially for us and the Pool Room.”
Dawsonville has a lot of NASCAR roots, much more than the Elliot family, and Garrett said it is simply ‘neat’ to have such history in Dawsonville as well as carrying it through the Pool Room.
Chase owes it to his parents and said he is grateful they could share that special moment with him – especially following in his father’s footsteps.
“It’s not an everyday thing. That’s not a once in a lifetime that might be once in 50 lifetimes,” Chase said. “It’s a very emotional moment and to see where this racing journey started…I am grateful for all of their hard work.”
Flat tire costs Elliott, Logano wins Penzoil 400
Team FYN Sports February 24, 2020
An otherwise dominating performance by Dawsonville, Georgia, native Chase Elliott was derailed by a left rear flat tire with 50 laps remaining in Sunday’s Penzoil 400 NASCAR Cup Series race. Elliott’s collision with the turn one wall on lap 220 sent him from first to last after an unscheduled pit-stop and he was only able to fight his way back into the 25th spot before the checkered flag flew.
Driving the bright yellow Penzoil No. 22, Joey Logano won the race under the eighth yellow flag of the day in a two-lap shootout that began with an accident on the restart. The victory was Logano’s second straight win in the Penzoil 400, and the twenty-fourth of his career, moving him up to thirty-fourth on the all-time winner’s list.
“We fought hard for this one today. Man, what a battle between Blaney and I and Chase Elliott and (Martin Truex Jr.) earlier in the race,” Logano said. “Man, nothing like winning the Pennzoil 400 in front of this amazing crowd with this awesome yellow car right here in the front. Man, this is a huge win, and nice to kick off the season with a W.”
Elliott, starting in tenth-place, took the lead four times in the race for a total of 70 laps winning the first two stages of the race. The NO. 9 NAPA Chevy driver has now won three of the first four stages of the early 2020 NASCAR season.
In only his second race with his new team, Woods Brothers racing, Matt DiBenedetto picked up his highest career finish as he crossed the line in second-place. Ricky Stenhouse Jr finished third, followed by Austin Dillon and Jimmie Johnson. The fifth-place finish by Johnson, who is racing in his final season, marked his best finish in more than a year.
The 2020 NASCAR Cup Series continues the western circuit with the Auto Club 400 at the Auto Club Speedway in Fontana, California on Sunday, March 1.