Elliott honored with spot on NASCAR’s 75 Greatest Drivers list

by NASCAR.com /

Chase Elliott was named as the newest addition to the list of NASCAR’s 75 Greatest Drivers.

The recognition comes after the Hendrick Motorsports driver returned to action last weekend at Martinsville Speedway and posted a top-10 finish in his first race back since missing time with a leg injury.

RELATED: About 75 Greatest Drivers list

Elliott joins his father, 1988 Cup Series champion Bill Elliott, on the elite list. The elder Elliott, a NASCAR Hall of Famer, was honored as part of the original 50 Greatest Drivers roster for NASCAR’s 50th anniversary in 1998. And like his father, Chase Elliott has carried the No. 9 for the majority of his NASCAR career.

Chase Elliott adds his name as part of the 25 new honorees in commemoration of NASCAR’s 75th anniversary. The 27-year-old Georgia native has 18 career victories in eight seasons as a Cup Series regular, and he claimed the 2020 championship with a five-win campaign that included a non-points All-Star Race triumph.

Elliott broke into the national-series scene with three wins as an Xfinity Series rookie, capitalizing on his performance and consistency to capture the 2014 championship with JR Motorsports. He moved up to the Cup Series full-time in 2016 and topped Chris Buescher and Ryan Blaney for Sunoco Rookie of the Year honors.

Elliott has won multiple races a year for five consecutive seasons (2018-22). He has also been recognized as the Cup Series’ Most Popular Driver Award each year during that same span.