Chase Elliott matches father Bill’s NASCAR feat as Daytona 500 approaches

Chase Elliott won the Cook Out Clash during NASCAR's return to historic Bowman Gray Stadium for the pre-season exhibition race. With his maiden Clash win, the #9 Hendrick Motorsports driver matched his father, Bill Elliott, who won the event in 1987.

Driving the #9 Ford for Melling Racing in 1987, Bill Elliott won the 20-lap Busch Clash at Daytona International Speedway before going on to dominate the Daytona 500, leading 104 of 200 laps. Now, Chase Elliott has set his sights on winning the season opener at Daytona, aiming to emulate the feat.

Only five drivers have won both the Clash and the Daytona 500 in the same year: Bobby Allison (1982), Bill Elliott (1987), Dale Jarrett (1996, 2000), Jeff Gordon (1997) and Denny Hamlin (2016). With Chase’s recent Clash victory, the Elliotts became just the second father-son duo to win the preseason event, following the Earnhardts.

Chase Elliott is looking to carry the momentum from his Clash victory into the season opener at Daytona International Speedway. When asked if the two-week break before the Daytona 500 would affect the team, the #9 HMS Chevy driver responded that they’d celebrate the victory for an additional seven days.

He also highlighted how competitive the non-points-paying races have become in recent years, making the win more rewarding.

"It sounds to me like I can enjoy it for another seven days, an extra seven days, versus a normal race. That's a good thing. I mean, look, I know it's not a points race, but I don't care...These things, man, they are so hard to win. Whether it's a points race, not a points race, before the season, the All-Star... This garage has become so competitive, these guys are so good at what they do, it's very rewarding to cross the finish line first in whatever type of event it is when you're racing against those types of drivers and teams," he was quoted by SpeedwayDigest.com.

"That to me is very enjoyable from our perspective. We'll take the positives from the weekend. For sure we recognize there's 37 more to go. There's a lot of racing left. Just hope we can build on this," he added.

Elliott will return to action in the Duel Races, scheduled on February 13 and the Daytona 500, scheduled on February 16.

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Chase Elliott elaborates on how the Bowman Gray crowd made the victory special

With NASCAR returning to its roots at Bowman Gray Stadium, most of the 17,000 spectators were longtime stock car racing fans. Chase Elliott, a firm believer in "less is more", reckoned winning in front of such a passionate crowd made it a memorable one.

"I just think probably the biggest lesson I've taken from the weekend is kind of reaffirming my belief in less is more. Like this crowd, it wasn't 80,000, 90,000 person crowd, but it was a smaller number, a more intimate number..." he told the press conference (via SpeedwayDigest.com).

"I think the people and the environment make those moments special. Without the environment being what it was, it wouldn't have felt the way it did. I think all those things contribute into what will always be a memorable night for myself and our team," he added.

Starting in pole position, Elliott led 171 of 200 laps, fending off Denny Hamlin and a fast-charging Ryan Blaney to win the Clash.