TALLADEGA — It’s been 32 years since an Elliott has gone to victory lane at Alabama’s Talladega Superspeedway, but on Sunday Chase Elliott was able to follow in his father’s footsteps by winning the GEICO 500.
His win was well received by those in attendance. Given his deep roots in the sports by being NASCAR great Bill Elliott’s son, the younger Elliott is perhaps the favorite of modern-day NASCAR fans.
Elliott’s Hendrick Motorsports teammate Alex Bowman finished second, with rookie Ryan Preece and Ford driver Joey Logano in tow for third and fourth-place finishes and rookie Daniel Hemric rounding out the top five.
The 23-year-old Elliott survived a crash-filled chaotic ending to secure his first victory of the 2019 season. He led 44 laps, the most of any driver for four different spans in his first superspeedway win.
Elliott’s father Bill Elliott is a two-time winner at the track with wins in 1987 and 1985 and holds the track’s all-time speed record.
“It just kind of happened by happenstance,” Elliott said to the media following the race of his win and his family’s ties to the track. “It was what it was and the day worked out like it did, for sure. You know, dad’s history — very cool.”
Elliott lauded the fans in attendance for the event for their boisterous reception.
“I was blown away by the people and how fired up everybody was,” he explained. “That was an unbelievable experience. We are close to home, so that’s cool, and they made me feel that way. I couldn’t ask for much more there.”
“The post-race was unbelievable,” he added. “I’ve never had a crowd — it just felt like in the palm of your hands. I mean, it’s how it felt. You get excited, they get excited. You block, and they don’t say anything. You pump your arms up, and 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. Hey, you don’t know if that will always be that way. People may not like you in a couple of years or whatever. Today was something I’ll never forget. I just appreciate all the folks making it feel like a home race.”
Elliott leaves Talladega eligible for the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series playoffs. His win puts him seventh overall in driver points. Kyle Busch holds on to the series’ points lead.
@Jeff_Poor is a graduate of Auburn University, the editor of Breitbart TV and host of “The Jeff Poor Show” from 2-5 p.m. on WVNN in Huntsville.
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