The 2020 NASCAR Cup Series champion Chase Elliott has won multiple races throughout his nine-year-long NASCAR Cup Series career. In a recent interview, he revealed the one crown jewel race that he sees as the most meaningful for him than others.
In NASCAR, four events are regarded as the crown jewel. These four races are the season-opening Daytona 500, the Coca-Cola 600, the Brickyard 400, and the Southern 500.
Chase Elliott names Brickyard 400 as the most meaningful crown jewel race. The event is held annually at iconic Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
In an interview with Hendrick Motorsports, Elliott reflects on the significance of winning the Brickyard 400, particularly because of his father, Bill Elliott, who won it in 2002. Despite Chase's vague childhood memories of his father's victory, being a part of the race and capturing moments in photos holds sentimental value for him.
“The one that is more meaningful to me is the Brickyard because I was old enough when my dad won (in 2002) to just very vaguely remember a few little things about it. To be in the photos and whatnot I thought was cool. That one really hits closest to home for me,” Elliott said as quoted by On3.com.
The Brickyard 400 is returning this year for the first time after the 2020 season and Elliott will look to win the race to continue another family legacy.
The #9 driver has scored one top-five result, which came in 2019 in his six starts at Brickyard 400.
Chase Elliott reveals another race that he wants to win
NASCAR's most popular driver expressed his desire to win the Coca-Cola 600, emphasizing the added significance due to his partnership with Coca-Cola. While acknowledging the importance of any race win, Elliott recognizes that victories in specific races, like the Brickyard 400 and Coca-Cola 600, carry extra weight and represent unique milestones in his racing career.
“The (Coca-Cola) 600 would be great to win. Being partners with Coca-Cola now would make that even more special. We’ve had a couple of really good opportunities to win that race and didn’t. I would love to check the box on all of them. Any race win is a big deal but certainly those are a little bigger,” Elliott added.
Catch Chase Elliott in action when the 2024 season starts next month at Daytona International Speedway.