"I thought so much of how Bill Elliott raised him": When Rick Hendrick remembered scouting Chase Elliott

NASCAR team owner Rick Hendrick reflected on the events that led to Chase Elliott becoming a part of Hendrick Motorsports, crediting his decision to sign the driver to how he was raised by Bill Elliott, 1988 NASCAR Cup Series Champion & Chase's father. Hendrick's reflections came after his driver's win of the 2020 Cup title in a piece released in December 2020, a month after Elliott crossed the line at the Phoenix Raceway and put himself at par with his father.

Hendrick discussed how his signing of Elliott came around due to watching videos of the driver racing in Super Late Models at the age of 14, where he was defeating Cup drivers like Kyle Busch, David Ragan, and Landon Cassill.

"I just watched him in those Super Late Models and then actually saw one of the races where he raced Kyle Busch and just thought so much of how Bill raised him and what a polished young guy was. You could see the talent and thought, 'he may be 14-years-old, but we need to take a chance if we could," Hendrick said. [via Autoweek]

Chase Elliott was 15 years old when he joined Hendrick Motorsports in 2011 on a developmental contract. In 2016, he would get into the #9 car for the team to drive in the Cup Series full-time. The then-19-year-old would secure 10 Top-fives and 17 Top-10 finishes in his first year, along with being crowned the Sunoco Rookie of the Year.

In 2018, the #9 driver would secure his first Cup Series win and Hendrick Motorsports' 250th at the Watkins-Glen International track. Two years after his championship victory, Elliott would sign a five-year contract extension with the Hendrick-owned operation.

“His talent inside the race car is undeniable, and he’s just scratching the surface of what he can do. This is a young man who is mature beyond his years, comes from an incredible family, and is humble, hard-working and never takes anything for granted. As long as Chase is driving, we want him right here with Hendrick Motorsports," the team owner said. [via NASCAR]

The same year he got his contract extended, Chase Elliott secured another victory for his career, being named the 2022 Regular Season champion.

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"I can't put it into words": Chase Elliott reflects on his 2020 Cup Series title win

Chase Elliott wins the 2020 NASCAR Cup Series championshp. - Source: Imagn

Soon after securing his first title win in 2020, Chase Elliott started getting busy preparing for participating in events that take place during the off-season, like the Chili Bowl Nationals and the Snowball Derby. This gave him a brief period of time to process his championship victory, but was unable to put into words what the win meant to him.

"I've been thinking hard about it, and I don't know why I can't put it into words. I think part of it is that it's just a moment that I've wanted my whole life."

"You want time to stop so bad in that moment and that's just not how time works. You can't just pause. Like anything else in life, when you're having fun, time flies."

Over the course of his career, Chase Elliott has secured 19 wins, which doesn't take into account his most recent victory at the 2025 season opener at The Clash at Bowman Gray Stadium.