How long has Chase Elliott been in NASCAR? A look at Rick Hendrick's star journey

Since joining the NASCAR Cup Series full-time in 2016, Chase Elliott has always been a strong contender week in and week out. So far, the driver amassed 19 Cup race wins and one championship title.

Elliott is a 28-year-old American professional racing driver who pilots the No. 9 Chevrolet Camaro for Hendrick Motorsports. He is the son of Bill Elliott, who was the Winston Cup Series champion in 1998. This makes the two drivers the third father-son NASCAR champions in history.

Chase Elliott has not shown any signs of slowing down and has consistently finished within the top 10 season ranking year after year. Except for the 2023 season, when he dealt with an injury and suspension. However, even before reaching stardom in the premier series, the driver had made a mark for himself as a youngster in the league.

How long exactly has the Georgia native been in NASCAR? Let’s find out.

Early years in NASCAR

Chase Elliot signed a three-year K&N Pro Series East contract with Hendrick Motorsports in 2012. A year later, he ran a few races in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series. He earned his first series victory at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park, which made him the youngest winner in NASCAR Truck Series history at age 17.

Erik Jones, who was driving for the now-discontinued Kyle Busch Motorsports, shortly beat the record at Phoenix International Raceway.

The following year, Chase Elliott secured a drive in the NASCAR Xfinity Series under JR Motorsports, a team co-owned by Rick Hendrick. The Georgian went on to win the 2014 Xfinity championship and Rookie of the Year award after scoring three wins, 16 top-5s, and 26 top-10s.

The driver was transitioning to the Cup Series when he debuted as a part-time driver in 2015. A year later, Hendrick Motorsports promoted him to a full-time seat, taking over Jeff Gordon’s No. 24 car.

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Chase Elliott’s Cup Series career

From debuting in the NASCAR Truck Series, Chase Elliott took three years before graduating full-time to the premier series. The driver may have failed to secure a win in his debut season but earned the Rookie of the Year award.

It wasn’t until the 2018 season the now-No. 9 Hendrick Motorsports driver won his first Cup race. He was battling Martin Truex Jr. for the win when the latter driver ran out of fuel at Watkins Glen. The Georgia native would win two more wins in the same season.

Perhaps the highlight of his NASCAR career was winning the Cup Series championship in 2020. Chase Elliott took victory over the more experienced Championship 4 drivers: Brad Keselowski, Joey Logano, and Denny Hamlin at the season finale at Phoenix Raceway.

The Chevy driver reached the Championship 4 again in 2021, but it was his new teammate Kyle Larson who was crowned the champion.

As mentioned earlier, Elliott only failed to finish in the top 10 season ranking in 2023 due to a snowboarding injury and race suspension. The injury sidelined the driver for six races before he was handed a one-race suspension for wrecking Denny Hamlin at the Coca-Cola 600. It was the first time he had failed to win a race in a season since 2017.

Chase Elliott drives the No. 9 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet Camaro - Source: Imagn

Now, the HMS star is fighting to keep his playoff alive as drivers prepare for the second race of the Round of 8 at Homestead-Miami Speedway. He is currently 8th in the playoff standings and a whopping -53 below the cutline.