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Hey!

Yeah!

[ Cheers and applause ]

Yes!

Oh, my God.

Are you kidding me?

I mean, what?
What? [ Chuckles ]

You're champion.
Champion.

I don't believe it.
I don't believe it.

Yeah.
Oh, my gosh.

Thank you.

Thank you, thank you,
thank you.
Thank you.

Didn't I say it was just
10 years ago when you were 14?

Yeah,
has it been that long?

Yeah.
Dang,
we're getting old.

No, you'renot.
I'm getting old.

Earnhardt:
So, it's November 2020,

and the eyes
of the NASCAR universe

are laser-focused
on Phoenix Raceway.

And what do they see?

This guy right here,

Chase Elliott, with the biggest
smile you ever saw,

raising the Bill France Cup
high above his head.

But who is this guy?

In this moment, he's the almost
25-year-old champion

of the NASCAR Cup Series.

But I want to go beyond that

to see how he grew up
from a little kid

following his dad up
and down pit road

to the next big thing in racing

to the man
holding that trophy.

The Chase Elliott story
begins with a family legacy

that ties him to NASCAR legend

and a town his father
put on the map.

You know the nickname.

I wanted to see for myself
the town that's brought us

two of the best drivers
in the last 40 years,

a rare father-and-son
combination.

It's a tiny community set among
the north Georgia mountains.

So, where we at now?

Oddly enough,
this is Elliott Road.
[ Chuckles ]

And who better to show you
than the man himself?

Me and you together, though,
man, we are dynamite.

I agree.

So I'm off to Dawsonville
to get the full

Chase Elliott experience.

**

Here he comes.

**

**

What are you
doing here?

Come to see you, man.
Come to see Dawsonville.

Good to see you.
This is nice.

It's beautiful here.
Hello.

God's country.

You got your own airport?

Well, Idon't have
my own airport,

but my family does,
I suppose.

It says "Elliott Field."
Yeah.

Who built all this?

So my dad
and his brothers.

So your dad, did he always
want to be a pilot?

Yeah, so he started flying
in the late '70s,

kind of right
when he was getting started.

His best friend is
in the paving business,

so, yeah, paved it.

Made all the sense
in the world.

Yeah, why not?

And so
you're still using it?
Yeah.

You fly out of here
pretty much to every --

Every week.
You don't fly
the big airport.

And I was lucky, right, because
I grew up kind of around that.

I mean, he's been flying
a lot longer than

I've been alive, so...
Right.
It was natural.

It was very natural
and, you know,

it was just really cool
as a kid,

to kind of go fly with your dad
and kind of do those things.

So, of course, yeah,
I was interested in it,

and now it's something
we can share

completely away
from racing.
Yeah.

And we talk way
more about airplanes

than we do about racing,
so it's cool.

So, this is right
below the shops.
Yep.

We drove by a couple shops
up there.
Yep.

Is that where they raced out of
back in the --

Yeah,
basically, yeah.

You have
three buildings.

That was where
they did everything.

Did everything.
Man.

In the '80s, especially, like,
around '85 when they were flying

and whupping everybody so bad,
you're like,

"Man, what are they doing?
What are they doing down there?"

So this is a really big deal
for me to finally say

I've been here
to check it out.
Well, look,

it's not much,
but it's home for us,

and I think that's what
makes it cool.

You're modest, man.
It's much. It's a lot.

I'm excited to learn about it,
so let's get going.

Yeah,
let's go take a look.
Alright.

This land has been in the
Elliott family for generations.

Chase's grandfather, George,
worked hard,

and raised his three boys,

Ernie, Dan, and Bill,
to do the same.

By the mid '80s, the family
dominated NASCAR.

Announcer: Bill Elliott is
racing into the record books.

Bill Elliott is going
toward immortality.

Bill Elliott has won an
additional $1 million in 1985.

Earnhardt: They built some of
the fastest cars

in the history of the sport,

and, in 1988,
raced all the way to the title,

doing it all out of
this little shop in Dawsonville.

**

So this is the shop.
Yeah.

This is where --

This is where they really did
all the work on the cars.

Can we look at this Ford
over here?

Yeah.

This was his first
Cup-race car.

This ain't a remake car?

No, no, no.
This is it.

Just looking at this thing

and imagining it
going around the track.

Imagine driving this thing
around Darlington.

I can't.

I mean, there is no way.

Your hands would be full.

This thing's probably got,
like, six pounds of Bondo in it.

Oh, six, I think,
is kind.
It's a lot.

Thing weighs about
10,000 pounds.

Dude, no kidding.
[ Chuckles ]

As you get older,
are your curiosities

kind of piquing about
just what it was like?

'Cause you missed out

on a big chunk
of your dad's career,

but you were there
for another big chunk of it.

I do appreciate
those conversations.

You know, I wasn't around
for the heyday,

you know, so to speak.

So, for me, his career was
the Dodge number 9 Evernham car.

Announcer: Bill Elliott joins
the list of winners

of the Brickyard 400 at Indy.

There's his wife,
Cindy, son, Chase.

"Point me to victory lane."

[ Cheers and applause ]

At that age, I was old enough
to at least understand races

were just these big events,

and, like, if you weren't
at the race,

then you just weren't living
that weekend, you know?

That's how I thought.

And they were having success,
you know, and they were winning

and things
were going really good.

So, although I didn't understand
the racing side at that age,

I could tell how much fun
and how much he was enjoying,

you know,
what he was doing.

So that's what made me
want to race.

[ Speaks indistinctly ]

Chase,
when he was a little boy,

I remember him coming
to the racetrack.

What kind of kid was Chase

when he was home,
running around the house?

What was he like?

All he ever did was play
with racecars.
Really?

He would practice
signing his name...
[ Laughs ]

and I think about that
quite often now because --

We still have paper.
Oh, my God.

Yeah, like, he'd sign his name
100 times, you know?

But he always was focused
on wanting to drive a racecar.

My focus was his education.

He had to have
a "B" average to race.

Really?
That's pretty high.

That wasn't
myrequirement.
It was mine.

A "B"? Man.
A "B," yeah.

When we first moved
to Colorado,

we were trying
to homeschool him,

and it was like --
God, it was --

What subject
did Bill teach?

None. Zero.
[ Laughs ]

I didn't get any help
from him.

Yeah, I was a total
school dropout, you know?

Earnhardt: When Bill's career
came to an end,

the Elliotts moved
to Vail, Colorado.

Are you ready, dude?

Yeah.

Well,
get your junk on.

Alright, go.

Second gear.

Okay, go.

The plan was to retire,
but Bill can never sit still.

For Chase, the chance to bond
with his dad

in the great outdoors
was priceless.

Well,
you ready to head back?

Yeah.

But you didn't get too dirty
this time.

No, he missed some mudholes
this time.

What was up with that?
I don't know.

He wanted to get back,
get his homework done.

I know he did.

Do it later.

Earnhardt:
Before long, the Elliotts
were back at a racetrack,

with Chase tearing up
the Colorado go-kart scene.

We would go to the races
and, you know,

Bill would drive the truck
with the trailer and everything.

We'd drive back
all night long,

but sometimes we'd be gone
three or four days.

That was probably some of the
best memories we'll ever have.

As soon as he got his foot
in the window

for the first time,
he's never looked back.

It seems like
he's never looked back.

I mean, you know,
I was watching for accuracy,

and I was thinking,

"Well, this guy is running here
and this guy is running there."

And Chase goes out there and
runs a totally different line,

runs faster than all of them.
I was like...

I mean, what do you say,
you know?

So he seems like he's always
ready to take that next step.

Announcer: And your winner wears
the number 9, Chase Elliott.

[ Cheers and applause ]

Congratulations.

Chase:
Kind of got to a point for me
where there just really

wasn't much else
to race out in Colorado.
In Colorado.

Who made the decision
to come back?

I guess it was kind of
a joint decision.

You know, I was still very
young, but I, you know,

thought I wanted to race
and wanted to try to do it.

So started racing Legend cars
out of here,

and then when we started
racing late models and stuff,

I mean, heck, you couldn't
ask for a better place.

So you raced
out of here?
Yeah.

Where'd you race this at?

Kind of really
just all in Georgia.

Atlanta Motor Speedway
a bunch

on the quarter-mile
there on the front stretch.

Mainly just around here.

And then you got
a Legends car?

Yeah,
those things are cool.

I mean,
I do think you learn

some pretty good lessons
driving.
Yeah.

When you got out of your Legends
car, what was the next car?

Pro Late Model.
A Pro Late Model?

Did you just kind of run
wherever you wanted,

or did you go for
track championship somewhere?

Well,
when I first started,

it was wherever
they would let me

'cause I was 13, I guess.

Oh, my God.
Yeah, so --

You were young.
Yeah.

Earnhardt:
Racing against guys old enough
to be his dad,

Chase found success
on the Late Model circuit,

but the end of the road
was approaching.

As a family operation,
the Elliotts were about to run

headlong into the financial
realities of racing.

When you were racing
Late Models with your dad,

did you and him ever have
a conversation about,

like, how were you
going to make it?

Yeah, basically,
right there

towards the end
of Late Model,

he was like, "Look, you know,
I can only take this so far."

And we were stretched
pretty thin here as it was,

I mean, to do
an operation like that.

So that was kind of it.

He wanted to be somewhere
where he felt like

he had a shot to win.

And I get it from his side,

but sometimes
it just don't work.

Woman:
Alright, so, Chase,

where do you see
your career going?

Do you have any kind of
timeline in your head?

I think, you know,
by the time I'm 18,

hopefully be running
some kind of Nationwide race

or something like that,
or truck or just anything.

And like I said,
any opportunity

that I might have
would be great.

Hendrick: Well, I knew Chase
was running Late Models.

James Finch, a friend of mine,
said,

"Have you watched,
you know, Chase Elliott?"

And I said,
"I've watched some tapes."

I saw a video of him racing Kyle
when he was, like, 14 years old,

and so that was enough for me
looking at his record.

I called Bill, and I said,

"Hey, I'd like to talk
to you about Chase."

He said, "Look, you know,
I've spent a lot of money

getting him to this point."

And he said, "Now he's
got to find it on his own."

And Bill said, "This is what
I think he ought to do."

And at the end of that
conversation, I said,

"Bill, then you keep
directing him,

and I will support you guys."

And that's the way it started.

I knew that Bill had a son,

but I didn't even know
what his name was at the time.

And here,
Mr. H approached me and said,

"Hey, we've got a talent
that we want to work on.

It's Bill's son, Chase,

and we want to put him in some
cars and see what he can do."

And just from the first time
I ever met the kid,

he's just wise beyond his years
and super focused

on being a racecar driver.

Earnhardt:
Chase's first steps with
Hendrick Motorsports

was the K&N Series.

He wasted no time
pulling into victory lane.

His win at Iowa, that put
the racing world on notice.

Announcer:
Rick Hendrick has got to be
freaking out right now,

along with Bill and Cindy
and the team.

Look at this.
I just can't believe this.

Announcer #2: Great job.

Earnhardt:
Were you thinking in your mind,
"Man, I just want to race

for a living
for the rest of my life.

It's really my dream
to race for a living,"

or were you thinking, like,
championships, wins, Cup racer?

I just admired, you know,
guys like Jimmie,

and watching them
have all that success.

I mean, I think I'd be lying
if I didn't sit there

and be like, "You know,
I really want to do that.

You know, I want
to have that success."

So, yeah, absolutely.

I guess I was thinking
about trying to do good.

I didn't just
want to be there.

I made myself available
to him,

and the coolest thing
is, through all of that,

you know, he would come to
test sessions he didn't need to.

He would come to races
he didn't need to.

And I was just
always impressed

with how important being
at the racetrack was for him.

His awareness from
growing up around it

and being involved in it
at a young age

was very evident
straight away.

Hendrick:
Most young guys that you have
will drive over their head,

they'll wreck a bunch
and they'll, you know,

make mistakes,

and he doesn't make
many mistakes.

When you can be smooth
and aggressive and fast,

I mean, that's
the key to success.

Earnhardt: In 2013,

Chase climbed the ladder
to the Truck Series,

and he got a chance to show off
those road-racing skills

he picked up
all the way back at go-karts.

Announcer: White flag is out.

Here comes Elliott,
side-by-side for the lead.

Ty Dillon with the advantage.

Elliott right on his
back bumper.

Look at the inside in 10.

They make contact.

Elliott spins the three,
the three into the tires.

And Chase Elliott,
across the stripe he'll go.

Elliott wins in Canada.

[ Cheers and applause ]

He left the door open,
and Chase was going for the win.

Got a little bit ugly there
for a little while,

but there is no pain
in victory lane, they say.

[ Chuckles ]

Announcer:
Chase Elliott gets his first win

in the NASCAR
Camping World Truck Series.

Chase:
That's not how I race

and it's never been
how I've raced before,

but we only have so many shots
to win these things

and sometimes
you've got to do

what you've got to do
to try to get to victory lane,

and just really looking forward
to things to come.

Ryan: I remember interviewing
Rick Hendrick in 2013,

and Rick Hendrick said then

if he put Chase Elliott
in a Cup car,

he felt he could finish
in the top 20.

I think he absolutely thought
that Chase Elliott definitely

had superstar potential
as a 17-year-old.

Chase reminds me
a lot of Dale Jr.

You could tell both of them
grew up in the sport,

both watching, absorbing,

because they drive older
than their years.

They even have a little bit
of an old-school feel to them.

So when he went to
JR Motorsports,

I think it was a great moment
for his career

and kind of his identity.

Earnhardt: The next year,
Rick Hendrick moved Chase

up to my Xfinity Series team,
JR Motorsports.

That 2014 season took a lot
of people by surprise,

even within the team itself.

Ives: You know, when we first
started out,

Mr. H and Bill
were kind of like,

"Hey, let's just go into there,
learn as much as we can."

And I remember the first race
at Daytona,

Mr. Hendrick advised Chase

to maybe stay on the bottom
and not risk crashing the car,

just bringing it home
in the top 15,

and then fast-forward
to Darlington when we won

and then Texas,

and, all of a sudden, it
you know, goes from,

"Hey, let's just stay
on the bottom,"

to being a contender
in the championship.

Announcer: I tell you what.
This young man, Chase Elliott,

he drives and acts
like a seasoned veteran.

Letarte:
When you look at JR Motorsports,
they always ran well,

but Chase elevated
what they were able to do.

Announcer:
Off of turn number four comes
the second-generation driver,

Chase Elliott, in his first trip
to the Chicagoland Speedway,

takes the checkered flag.

Chase: Awesome job, guys.
That a way.

Everybody did their job
tonight.

That's what we got to do
from here on out.

Awesome job.
Thank you very much.

Letarte:
It was the first time that
he was put on the national stage

to kind of perform what I think
is the most difficult thing,

which is, you know,
a championship run.

Earnhardt:
By the end of the season,
Chase had a chance to capture

the Xfinity Series championship
in just his first year.

Phenom?

That might be an understatement
when it comes to this guy.

Announcer: All eyes are on
18-year-old Chase Elliott.

Only has a couple of laps
to go to wrap it up.

Man: NASCAR champion
right there, bud.

Chase: Awesome job, man.

Thank you guys so much.

Announcer: Chase Elliott,
the youngest NASCAR champion

in series history.

Petty:
Rick has an uncanny ability
to find the people,

but what Rick has
a better ability

is to find multiple people

and put them together
to be successful.

Now, if you go there
and you don't look good,

you're not going to get
a second chance.

I mean, we can rattle off
100 people

who have been superstars
in that Xfinity Series

and couldn't hit a bull
in the butt with both hands

when they get
to the Cup level.

Earnhardt: Dawsonville's
about 250 miles

from the Hendrick
Motorsports shop,

which is right outside
of Charlotte, North Carolina,

but Chase Elliott wouldn't think
of living anywhere else.

And that pilot's license,

that comes in handy
on the commute.

Earnhardt: When you came into
the Xfinity Series,

I remember when you got
an apartment up in Mooresville.

And I know that you had tried
to go up there

and make that work,
but it didn't last long.

And we had these
competition meetings

that they wanted us
there in-person for,

and you were like,
"Well, alright.

But I'm going to have
to fly every day, every week."

And I'm like, "Wow.
He's going to..."

And then you were like,
"Well, it's no different

than you driving
from your house."

It takes me about
the same amount of time.

-That's true, yeah.
-I'm like, "Okay."

You know, it requires
a little more effort, I guess.

To be home, to be kind of away
from the racing scene

all the time, I enjoy.

And also I think there's
a little bit of a sense of pride

in kind of continuing to do
things the way my dad did it.

**

In 2015, Chase was back
in the Xfinity Series

to defend his title,

but he was already
looking toward the future

with the announcement that he
would be moving up

to the Cup Series to replace
the retiring Jeff Gordon

the following season.

Chase: The learning curve's
definitely going to be steep.

That's a whole
'nother world there,

I think, up at Cup series.

It's an unbelievable
opportunity,

but at the same time,
you got to get the job done.

Earnhardt:
As Chase took over the 24 car,

he began one of
the most anticipated

and hyped rookie seasons
in NASCAR history.

Nothing about his first year
in Cup was going to be easy.

Knaus:
I can't begin to think of what
the pressure would be

like coming into the Cup Series.

A lot of eyes on you,

taking over
Jeff Gordon's racecar,

the prodigy child of
Bill Elliott, right?

I would have to assume that
that would be a daunting task

to be able to even set foot
in the garage area at Daytona

for the Daytona 500
in those conditions.

Chase:
I mean, just because of Dad
and his career,

there's always been times
throughout my career

where I've felt like I got
attention that I didn't deserve.
Right.

And I don't ask for that,
right?
No.

And that's the worst thing,
you know, getting attention

that you're not asking for
or you don't deserve.

Earnhardt:
But he did deserve at least
some of the attention,

because right out of the gate,

Chase won the pole
for the Daytona 500.

Announcer:
And the Sprint Cup rookie
goes to the top.

45.84.
Announcer #2: Wow!

Wow.
That's the fastest lap yet.

The youngest driver ever
to start on the pole

for the Daytona 500
is Chase Elliott.

Chase: Opportunities like this
don't come twice,

and I certainly want to make
the most of this one.

This is very, very special,
a very, very cool way

to start our 2016 season
with HMS and the 24 car.

And like I said,
just very honored

and blessed to be with the group
of guys that we have.

Ryan:
The Daytona 500 pole position

is much more about car
than it is driver,

but I think it was good
for Chase Elliott

to be thrust
into the spotlight immediately.

Earnhardt:
As the season went on,

Chase's talent was
on full display,

but he wasn't winning,

and that spotlight was starting
to feel pretty hot.

Ryan: There were these
enormous expectations

and this enormous
pressure of,

"Well, when are you
going to win?"

We had a lot of chances to win,
you know?

We finished second a lot,
and there was more that,

you know, weren't seconds
that we were in position to win.

Either the caution would
come out at the wrong time

and take him out of the lead,
or there'd be a late restart

and he would get snookered
on the restart.

20-year-old
Chase Elliott with the lead.

Oh, no.

Spun the tires or missed
a shift did Chase Elliott.

Man:
You had the lead and you didn't
get a very good start.

What happened?
I just did something dumb.

You can't do dumb stuff
and win these races.

That one was on me.

Rice:
I was at Chicagoland Speedway
with a bunch of friends.

We were up in the box,
walking down

because Chase was going to win
his first Cup Series race.

Announcer: Young Chase Elliott
just 10 laps away

from his first-ever
Sprint Cup Series win.

By the time we get down
to the infield,

we look up
at the leaderboard,

and Chase is in third,
so we're just like,

"Oh, my God.
What happened?"

Man:
[ Speaks indistinctly ]

Caution's out.

[ Speaks indistinctly ]

Announcer:
Martin Truex Jr. out first,
then Chase Elliott.

Martin Truex Jr. looking for
win number three

and a spot in round two.

We get down
to the garage area,

and Chase was walking by,
the way his face was,

the way he looked,
how fast he was walking,

it didn't matter
we were buddies.

I wasn't going up to say
a damn word to him

because he was pissed off.

Gustafson: We struggled to get
over the hump.

And, you know,
at that point in time,

I do feel like it
was wearing on him.

In those interviews afterward,

it almost kind of became
a running joke

the way Chase Elliott
would just beat himself up.

I didn't do a good enough job
that second time to get back,

so we'll go to work.

My restarts were probably
some of the worst restarts

you could possibly have.

It's time for me to step up.

Been around here long enough
to ought to be

able to figure it out.

You'd run second and be like,
"I let everybody down."

I did. [ Chuckles ]
Dude.

Do you still feel
that much failure and pressure

when you don't deliver
the prize every weekend?

I feel like I do, but it's
really more I feel like when,

you know,
something was in my hands

and it was
directly my fault.

That's when
I'm the most angry.
Yeah.

Announcer: Look at the 18.
He's closed the gap.

Chase Elliott fighting for
his first win in the Cup Series.

Here comes the 18
on the outside.

Kyle Busch is going
to pass him for the lead.

What did you need there to hold
him off on that final lap?

Do something different.
I don't know.

I'm just so disappointed
in myself.

Golly, that was --
couldn't have had it any easier.

Gave it away.

Johnson: I remember being
the first one to the car.

I didn't even know
what to say,

but I just feel like
standing there,

just for him to have
somebody to vent to.

I can't say what he said
on TV,

but you can only imagine
the frustration.

And just agreeing,
just be like, "Yeah, bro.

I mean, that's -- I hear you.
And you're going to be fine.

You're going to get
through this.

You will win.
But, you know, I hear you."

He holds himself to a standard

that may be
an unobtainable standard.

It may be.

I mean, he may do this
every race.

We just don't know it.

That's just kind of
how he is, you know?

I do think he's realized
that he can't carry

the whole burden of it
on his shoulders,

but he still does focus
on what he can control,

which I think is
a positive thing,

and I think he's learned
to temper that slightly.

Earnhardt: Still winless
near the end of 2017,

Chase was in position to go
to victory lane at Martinsville

and advance
to the championship race,

but, again, fate
had other ideas.

Announcer:
Oh, Elliott spins!

Man:
Oh, he just wrecked us.

Chase: Yep,
he definitely wrecked me.

Did what happen what I think
happened, or am I skewed?

No, he drove onto your bumper
and crashed you.

That's what I figured.
10-4.

Good to know. Thanks.

Announcer #2:
Take a look at this.

The 24 of Chase Elliott
and the 11 having a difference.

Announcer:
And you can hear the crowd.

The place just came unglued.

Ryan: He didn't go there
swinging fists

and looking to start a fight,
but he was very resolute

in letting Denny Hamlin
know that,

"Hey, youwrecked me,"

and I think that sent a message
to his peers

that he wasn't there
to be pushed around.

I like to think that was
the Chase Elliott wake-up call.

That tragedy that day
turned into motivation for him

to go get better, go finally win
a race, and win the Cup.

Earnhardt: Alright,
you knew it was coming.

You can't go to Dawsonville
and not visit the Pool Room.

I've heard about this place
for years

anytime Bill Elliott's
hometown was mentioned.

Now, it's really just
a greasy-spoon burger joint,

but it's also a huge part
of the Elliott story.

Back when Bill was dominating
the Winston Cup circuit,

the owner of the Pool Room
wanted a cool way

to celebrate those wins,
so he found an old siren,

or "cy-rene,"
as they say in these parts.

Every time Bill won, they fired
that thing up loud and proud,

and the tradition
continues with Chase.

[ Siren blaring ]

[ Cheers ]

That a way, Chase!

**

Earnhardt:
I had to see this piece
of NASCAR history in-person,

and maybe grab a burger, too.

Let's check it out.
This is it.

Yeah, siren
that goes off.

I've never been here
to witness it.
You've never heard it?

I've never heard it
in-person.

That won't even turn it on
for you?

I mean,
I know they would,

but they haven't
even said,

"Hey, you want to hear it?
Let me turn it on."

Yeah, no.

**

How you doing?
I brought a visitor.

Finally getting to check
this place out.

Never been here.

Heard about this
since I was a little boy.

You're looking at years
before me.

Yeah, I know.
I'm just seeing --

I guess that's your dad
up there, isn't it?

Yeah. But that's the car
that we were just --

That's the same car.

Yeah, that blue one is the one
we was looking at.

Yes.

Pretty dang cool, man.

That iscool.
Yeah.

I mean, it is cool of them
to keep all this stuff.

I know it.
Yeah.

You know, when you tell people
about this place, right,

and they always think
it's this, like, bar.

Dude, yeah,
I thought it was a bar.

"Pool hall" sounds like a place
where you go play pool

and drink buckets
of beer.

Right.
There isa pool table.

There is apool table,
yeah.
Yeah.

I wanted to eat there
with Chase,

but he didn't want
to eat lunch there...
[ Both chuckle ]

...so I still ain't eaten
my burger in that place.

Do you know that was
his first job?

No.
Yeah, he washed dishes.

Washing dishes.
No.

Yeah.
He did not say that.

Why didn't he
tell me that?
I don't know.

Oh, my God.
I guess he didn't want you
to know.

So he don't talk about
his first job.

What else
is he hiding from me?

I don't know.
There's no telling.

See, y'all.

Thanks
for showing me that.
Hey, any time.

Yeah.
That was cool.

It is cool.
They're good folks.

Yeah.

Woman: I'm happy
to introduce Chase Elliott,

joined by his dad.

Earnhardt: For his third year
in the Cup Series,

Chase was set for a new look and
to carry on a family tradition.

Your dad made
the number 9 famous.

You used the number 9 through
a majority of your career.

Now that you've had a couple
seasons with that number,

like, how comfortable
does that feel, right?

Yeah,
it feels like home.

I mean, it felt like home
from the first race

just like I never left,

I mean, 'cause that's
always been my number.

But I think much like kind of
not wanting anything

that you didn't feel warranted
or was earned,

I felt the same way about
asking for that number.

Who am I to sit here
and be like,

"I want my number,"
you know?

Yeah.
"I want mynumber."

I was in no position,
I felt, to ask for that.

Do you think about adding
to your dad's legacy,

or are you making
your own mark

entirely different,
you know, entirely separate?

The history of it,
I feel like, is known.

I respect that.

You know, like, that was why
I picked the number.

That's why I've always
liked the number.

I definitely feel like it
carries that on.
Yeah.

And it being with an Elliott,
I think, is special.

Hopefully it can stay
that way for a long time.
Yeah.

Woman:
Welcome to Upstate New York

and one of the most
historic tracks in racing,

Watkins Glen International.

Man:
A winless Chase Elliott,

he's had a decent car
all weekend.

Perhaps he can get
his first career

win at a road course
just like his

Hall of Fame father.

Announcer: Checkered flag
coming out for Bill Elliott,

who has just won
his first race in his

Winston Cup
Grand National career.

Announcer #2:
Hold-your-breath time
at Watkins Glen.

Announcer #3: Chase Elliott
has been so hard on himself.

Announcer #4: He's been passed
for the win 3 times

with 10 laps to go or less,
and we're in that window now.

Martin Truex Jr. getting closer
and closer.

Announcer #5: Bill Elliott
spotting for Chase.

Man: Got some time on him
right there.

He's done got a little loose.

You watched him
run those last few laps.

Are you a nervous dad?

Train wreck.
Train wreck.

You just can't
put it in words

because, you know, you know
all the things that can happen.

Announcer: Final time
into turn number one,

and he's got the mark,
and he drove it off the track.

He went wide in turn number one.

Man: It's still good, all clear,
all clear.

Running out of gas.

Announcer #2:
Truex is out of fuel.

Announcer #3: Truex is out.

Man:
Baby, that's how you do it.

[ Speaks indistinctly ]

Man #2: That's one of many
right here.

Announcer:
Chase Elliott is going
to Victory Lane.

Man: Yeah, baby!
Yeah!

Hell yes!

Chase: Burn that son
of a gun down, boys.

No, just kidding,
I'm out of gas.

Announcer:
And he runs out of gas
at the furthest place

away from the start/finish line.

Chase: I need a push.

I had a tough race and was
on my way back to the pits,

and I just thought he was
getting ready to do donuts,

and when I drove by,
I could tell his engine was off,

and I thought,
"Man, this is no way

to celebrate your first race."

So I backed up and was able
to push him off.

Chase: I got my man, Jimmie Jam,
coming to push me.

Man:
That's a pretty cool victory
lap right there.

Man #2:
That's badass, man.

Callie, I don't know
what to say, just so thrilled.

So much relief, you know,

I was working on three years
and hadn't won one,

and I came here
with a good opportunity today,

and I was able to get it done.

I hope all my buddies back home
are ready to get rowdy tonight

'cause it's going to be
a good one.

Johnson:
To see Chase with that smile
of doing it,

you know, there's just
a different smile

and a different energy
once you check that box

that I just personally
was so proud.

Bill: I can't describe it.

It's just beyond words.

You know, we knew
he could do it.

We knew the team could do it.

I mean, I'm sitting over there
and kind of letting,

you know,
the laps wind down,

and I'm thinking, you know,
"What's going to go wrong now?"

And, you know, and he held it
together, and lo and behold,

Truex runs out of gas,
so, you know, it was one --

just luck went our way
today.

Announcer: On start 99,
Chase Elliott is a winner

at the NASCAR Cup Series level.

Chase:
Dad had eight second-place
finishes, too,

and then he won his first race
on a road course, as well,

which is kind of funny,

really weird
how that worked out,

but all makes a hell of a story.

Earnhardt:
At the end of the season,

I got to pass
a title over to Chase

that I was honored
to carry for many years,

one that was in his family
long before it was ever in mine.

He's carrying on a legacy
started by his father,

who won the award
a record 16 times.

Please welcome the winner

of the 2018 Most Popular
Driver Award, Chase Elliott.

Chase:
So cool that it stayed

between Elliott
and Earnhardt for so long.

I am glad, though, that you quit
a year before you broke

Dad's record,
so that's pretty cool.

We got it back
in the right name.

I'm a little biased,
so sorry.

Knaus: Obviously, what makes him
so popular

is obviously his father
to begin with,

but then when you start to look
at Chase as a person

and how good of a racecar driver
he is, it's easy to establish

a pretty deep
following at that point.

He's got
the overall package

of what the fans
are looking for.

He's an excellent driver.

Not to mention he's cute,
real cute.

He's going to be a Hall of Famer
for sure.

He's got one championship
underneath his belt.

He's going to win more.

I wear my Chase gear always,
no matter where I'm at.

Man: What's the biggest way
you've shown off your

Chase Elliott fandom?

[ Chuckles ]
This tattoo right here.

Rice:
These days, when people talk
about Chase Elliott,

they're not saying,
"Oh, that's Bill's kid."

They're like,
"No, that's Chase Elliott."

He's earned it his own way,
and he's created his own path.

Earnhardt:
After that first win,

when NASCAR returned
to Watkins Glen in 2019, Chase,

he was the odds-on favorite,
and he didn't disappoint.

Announcer:
The 23-year-old from Dawsonville

got his first win
at this racetrack.

He's going to win again
at the Glen.

Earnhardt:
Two straight wins at the Glen
turned some heads.

Like, is Chase Elliott secretly
the best road racer in NASCAR?

Well, that idea was put
to a true test

at the Charlotte Roadville
a couple of months later.

He was pressing to get the lead,
locked up the front tires.

I thought we were
going to be done.

Announcer:
But Elliott locks up the tires,

and he noses
into the tire barriers.

The dominant car of the day
has crashed in turn one.

Chase: Cannot believe
I just did that.

Man: Don't worry about it.
The car's going to be okay.

But he backed it right out,
and the damage was so little,

I was like,
"Man, we just got lucky."

We got him in, got the hood
fixed and the tires changed,

and then basically
we were fast enough

just to drive right to the
front, which was pretty crazy.

Announcer:
Watching Chase Elliott
back here battle, it's fun

because he has passed
a plethora of cars.

Announcer #2: Chase Elliott
showing some aggression

that we're not accustomed
to seeing out of him.

Here comes Elliott, trying to
make the move to the outside.

He takes the lead
in the Chicane.

Rack them up
in the Pool Room.

Here comes Chase Elliott.

Chase:
Hell yeah! Let's go!

Gustafson:
I really think we were in
a great position

to contend
for the championship.

We just had a lot
of tough circumstances.

Woman:
Problems for playoff driver
Chase Elliott.

They think there is
a broken axle.

Man: Somebody get on the truck
and get a [bleep] axle.

Announcer: Trouble, trouble.

Chase Elliott,
one of our playoff contenders,

into the turn-two wall.

Chase:
I'd say she's done.

Man: Yeah, 10-4.

Chase Elliott hard
into the wall,

the back of the car's gone.

Announcer #2: And that's the end
of the possibility

of being a part
of the championship four.

Announcer #3:
Just a horrible round
of eight for this team.

Gustafson: That round
was really tough for us.

You know, I feel like we had
the pace,

you know, really for three years
to make it out of that round

and just didn't do it.

Earnhardt:
Once again, Chase came up short
in the round of eight.

Even with all the growth he'd
shown since finally winning,

he still had
a lot to prove.

Dad and them used to drag race
around here back in the day.

They would come out here,
and somebody would put oil down

on the square,
and they'd crash.

Earnhardt: [ Chuckles ]
People used to always go,

"What'd your daddy
tell you about racing?"

I'm like, "Nothing."
Yeah, no.

Like,
we didn't talk racing.

You know, if we talk
about the race, like,

I'll have a bad day
or run like [bleep] or whatever,

and I'll get in the car,

and typically it's something
along the lines of,

"Well,
that looked like fun."

He seems to have a way
of letting you know

that it wasn't great...
Letting you know
that you sucked

without telling you
it sucked.
...without hurting
your feelings.

[ Both laugh ]

He'll say, "I don't know
that I'd have done that."

Yeah.
That's funny.
You know, or whatever.

You know what's on his mind.
Yeah.

And a lot of times, he doesn't
even have to say anything,

and I know
what he's thinking.

Earnhardt: We all know
that 2020 was unusual.

For Chase Elliott, it must have
felt like those days

before he started winning.

In the month of May,
he saw a surefire win

slip through his fingers
in back-to-back races.

You never know, but as much
as you can know,

I felt like
we had that race won.

I mean, we passed Kyle.

Unless we crashed passing him,
you know,

I feel like we win the race.

Announcer:
Here comes Chase Elliott.

He gets turned hard.

Gustafson:
Oh, he just flipped us.

What the [bleep]

You okay?

Chase: Yep.
I am good.

Yeah, that is the most
[bleep] [bleep] thing

I've seen in a long
[bleep] time.

Announcer:
The man of the night
has been Chase Elliott.

Even, door.

Announcer: Door to door,
Elliott to the bottom.

Keselowski to the outside.

The number 9 is going to take
the lead on four.

Good, take it.
Take it.

That was good.
That shut him off.

Alright.
Clean track.

Announcer:
Chase Elliott tiptoeing
out of turn number four,

three laps left.

Announcer:
Trouble in turn two,
William Byron has spun,

and he will bring out
a caution flag.

Announcer:
Oh, my goodness.

Chase:
That's got to be a joke.

Gustafson:
I am [bleep] beside myself.

It's unreal.

Announcer:
It's going to be an overtime.

It's going to be two laps.

If you're up there
inside the top five,

you cannot come to pit road.

What do you think
you need here?

[Bleep] if I know, bud.
I mean, I'm serious.

Those guys, they're going
to stay, don't you think?

We had been in a similar
position earlier,

albeit not leading, where we
were on a set of old tires,

and we just got put into
some really bad spot.

I let that dominate
my perception

on what was going to happen.

Come on, 202.

Announcer:
Looks like he's coming
to pit road.

Announcer:
And that should put Brad
Keselowski back in the lead.

Didn't see that coming.

Gustafson: I mean,
you're [bleep] kidding me.

Chase:
Yeah, tell me about it, dude.
[Bleep] sucks.

Gustafson: I certainly know
that we lost that race

on my call
with the best car.

That's one, you know,
I'm going to eat that thing

for the rest of my life.

You know, I mean, it sucks,
but it's over.

Announcer:
Brad Keselowski will claim
the Coca-Cola 600.

Brad Keselowski won a race

that Chase Elliott
really should've won,

and this had sort of been
the narrative for Chase Elliott

throughout his career.

When these big moments
would arrive,

Chase Elliott and the team
couldn't quite close it out.

But I look back
at the Coca-Cola 600,

and I think that was where
that team realized,

"Hey, how do we change
that narrative

and take the necessary steps
to become a champion?"

Announcer: Greetings
from Charlotte Motor Speedway

on this Thursday.

Chase Elliott has this race
in hand very much,

like last Sunday.

Chase Elliott is just thinking,
"No yellow flags, no cautions."

Earnhardt: Just four days after
leaving the 600 heartbroken,

Chase bounced back
and got his first win of 2020.

For the second, he had to dust
off those road course skills

at a track
making its first appearance

on the cup series schedule.

Knaus:
I think Chase has developed

a lot of confidence
at the road courses,

so he feels like
he's going to perform well,

and we all know
that that psyche of knowing

you're going to be good
at something contributes highly.

The ability to be smooth
and duplicate

what you've done every lap,

I think that's
given him the edge.

Chase Elliott,
he's going to win at Daytona.

Three road-course wins in a row.

How do you explain how good
you are at the road courses?

I honestly don't know how
to answer that question,

I never really have.

You go to any schools?

Bondurant,
or anything like that?

I did go to Bondurant,
and there's lessons,

like, to this day,
I remember my instructor

teaching me at Bondurant
when I was,

you know,
whatever, 13, 14,

and you might go spend
three days driving a car

and you might learn,
like, one thing.

Yeah.
You know?

Like, and it might
be itty-bitty,

but you might see it again
down the road.

I used to dread going
to the road courses,

but I imagine if you're as
successful as you are at them,

it's something you look
forward to, and there's --

they've added more
to the schedule this year.

Were you pretty excited
about that?

Yeah, I honestly didn't really
care one way or the other.

You know, like, there was
no part of me

that looked at the schedule

and saw seven road courses
and was like,

"Aw yeah, man,
we got them now."

Right? [ Laughs ]
Like, no,
that's just not --

I didn't, like, honestly,
it had never crossed my mind.

So I really just don't care
where we go or what we do,

I just want to go and do good.

You know, whatever it is,
whatever kind of track.

Announcer:
NASCAR cup series playoffs,
starting tonight.

**

There wasn't really any pipe
around the 9 team

or Hendrick Motorsports
at the time,

and here comes Alan
and Chase.

It made a statement that you
can count out the 19 team.

Announcer:
Chase Elliott proves that
he's NASCAR's king of the road.

Earnhardt: Chase was back in
the round of eight,

which, for three
straight seasons,

had been the end
of his playoff journey.

Gustafson: Getting through
the last round was key.

That round's been
the one that killed us.

We were just trying to put
ourself in the best position

we could to
make it through.

Announcer:
Martinsville Speedway, the final
race of the round of eight,

the final chance at making
the championship four.

Knaus: Going into Martinsville,
I think they went in there

with the expectations
of running well

and knowing that
they had to run well.

Petty: Any time you're in
that must-win,

it's easy to use the excuse,

"Man, there was just
so much pressure."

You know, these guys, they
weren't looking for an excuse,

they were looking for a way.

Gustafson:
When he got in that car
at Martinsville,

he was game on
from the word go.

He's going to win or crash.

Like, you just kind of get
that impression.

Announcer: Chase Elliott knows
he's got to get up front.

He's got to basically win
this race now.

Announcer:
He is working the traffic,
doing a nice job.

Announcer: Truex has to win.
Elliott has to win.

Hendrick:
I don't care how many times
you've been

in a must-win situation,
it's always stressful to wait

and hope that
you can pull it off.

Announcer:
Chase Elliott back to the lead.

Announcer:
Elliott is going to win his way
into the championship four.

Ryan:
Chase Elliott being able to win
with his back against the wall

just showed that
they were championship caliber.

Gustafson: I think,
in that point in time,

I felt like we were
the favorite.

I didn't feel that anybody
had an advantage,

Earnhardt:
Chase Elliott takes a lot
of pride in his hometown,

and one of the perks
of staying in Dawsonville

is getting to live on the shores
of the beautiful Lake Lanier.

Yeah, this is it.

The docks are serious.

Just unhook that.
Don't fall in the lake.

I ain't going to fall in.

Just two guys
uncovering a boat.

[ Chuckles ]

Earnhardt:
Is this top hobby?

Top three?

I would say top three.

I mean,
I like getting out here.

I like --
I mean, I love wakeboarding,

kind of coming from
the snowboard thing.

It's funny,
so I was teaching my dad

how to do it, like,
last summer.

How was that?
It was tough.

[ Chuckles ]
It was tough.
[ Laughs ]

You ever see a time
where you won't --

you'll move out of here
or go anywhere else?

Maybe.
Like, you never know.

I don't know what life
might bring,

but maybe I might
move one day.

Yeah.
But right now,
I don't --

I have no desire or intentions
of being anywhere else.

Announcer: The 2020 season

is about to come to an end here.

Announcer:
It is something that we have
all been waiting for.

Time to settle
a championship.

Letarte: What I remember
from Chase,

every time you talked to him
about the pressure, he was like,

"This is why I do it."

The guys that succeed
are the ones that say,

"No, this isn't another day,
it's not another race,

it's not another lap.
This is the biggest of the big.

The difference is,
I worked all year long

to be in this spot,
so I am excited."

Earnhardt: You said,
"This is incredible to be here

with an opportunity
to do this."
Chase: Yeah.

"I can't believe
that I got this chance."

And it blew me away, because
all of the really great athletes

relish this opportunity,
right?

It looks like pressure,
but the really great athletes

want to be in that spot.

Were you just bringing
in that energy

just especially
because of that moment?

Yeah, I just felt like
that was the only option.

The only option for me
was to enjoy that

and embrace the opportunity,

and I just really felt like
if that didn't happen

and if I didn't have
that mind-set,

then we were done
from the get-go.

You were lost
before it started.

Announcer:
He's starting in a hole already

by having to go from
a pole position to tail back

because he failed
the pre-race inspection.

Johnson:
Once you're at the final
four at the one track,

anything can happen,

and those guys, even starting
in the back of the field,

I mean, carved through
the field,

put it on everybody,
and got the job done.

Announcer:
Looking in the back of the pack,
and here comes Chase Elliott.

He is just mowing to the front.

Gustafson:
You know, I'm not Brad, Joey,
or Denny, but I know

if I was leading the race
and the guy came from the back

and run us down in a short
period of time,

I'd be like, "Ooh."

Announcer:
This could be for the race win
and the championship.

Announcer: What a pass.

Chase Elliott leading
once again in Phoenix.

Announcer:
Crowd jumping up and down
and cheering.

Seemed like everybody had
an opportunity to run up there

and lead and run up there
and see the front.

They had their moments,
but Chase had all day.

Announcer: Right now, it is
all Chase Elliott.

Announcer:
Final time, Chase Elliott
on his way to the final.

Announcer: The 24-year-old
from Dawsonville, Georgia,

is about to join his father,
"Awesome Bill,"

in elite company.

Chase Elliott is a NASCAR
Cup Series champion.

[ Cheers and applause ]

Gustafson:
We are the champions.

Chase: Yes!

Aah!

Yes!

Yeah!

[ Speaks indistinctly ]

[ Cheers ]

**

Chase: In years past,
you know, I leave there,

and I'm mad and pissed off
and mad 'cause the other guy's

happy, you know,
a lot of days,

but to me,
there's only one person

that goes home
at the end of the season

and feels like they accomplished
everything they should,

and that's the guy
who wins it all.

**

Chase: I mean,
I got to drive a show car

from the shop
to where we're going.

You drove down this road
in your car?

Yes.
All the way to town.

I didn't really care if there
was one person there

or if there was
1,000 people there.

Did you guys know
what was in town?

Well, I did.
You did,
and Chase didn't?

No.
[ Chuckles ]

I bet you were
sitting there like,

"Chase is going to drive
around -- over this hill.

This thing's going to make
his heart explode, right,

with joy, right?"
Exactly, mm-hmm.

As he's coming around
the square,

people are just running over
to the car and high-fiving him,

and it was amazing.

There were people everywhere,
man, it was crazy.

I don't really know how
to describe the moment,

but I didn't expect
that type of turnout.

Ryan: Every cup champion
comes from somewhere,

but, like, I don't remember
Mark Truex Jr.

getting a parade
in Mayetta, New Jersey,

or Kyle Busch being fetted
in the same way in Las Vegas.

It's something that is
definitely unique, I think,

to Chase Elliott.

Just a huge thank you.

I guarantee there's not
another driver in NASCAR

that would have this
to come home to,

and I think it says
a lot about y'all.

[ Cheers and applause ]
Yeah, absolutely.

[ Crowd chanting "Chase!" ]

Amazing.

[ Chanting continues ]

I think the high is over
at this point.
[ Laughs ]

I think we have
moved on from that.

Or I have, at least.
Alright,
the high's over,

but that championship trophy,
where is it?

It's in a museum
here in Dawsonville.

Not in your home?
Not in my home.

I felt like
there was a time

through the off-season
to enjoy it.

I feel like that time
has passed.

There will be another day
down the road

where
you can re-appreciate.
Ah, yeah.

And while I'm competing and kind
of in the middle of the fight,

I feel like you have
to push forward.

Announcer:
From Dawsonville, Georgia,

in the number 9,
Chase Elliott!

Earnhardt:
The Chase Elliott story
is the continuation of a tale

that's been told for decades,
the story of a town,

a community, a family,
a father, and now a son.

Ryan:
This was a coronation

that feels like it's been years
in the making.

Chase: Growing up around it was
the biggest thing to me,

and a lot of people
expect more out of you,

but, I mean, I can only do
as good as I can, and that's it.

And I'm going to work as hard
as I can to do that.

Earnhardt: The story is really
just getting started.

At only 25 years old,

Chase is set to write a bunch
of chapters of his own.

I would always say, you know,
this is Chase Elliott,

son of Hall of Famer
Bill Elliott.

That's the line.
No longer, any more.

No, now you're going to say,
"Ah, defending NASCAR champion."

His career's now all his own.

Earnhardt:
After more than a dozen wins
and a championship,

there's so much more to come.

At his age, you know,
he has so much runway left.

I think, professionally,
he can do anything he wants.

Earnhardt: I can't wait to see
where he goes from here.

I bet this story's going to
continue to be, well, awesome.

What is next for you?
I don't know.

Just take it a day at a time.
Try to enjoy life.

What's missing?
Anything missing?

Man, to be real honest
with you,

I feel like
I've got way more than

I ever deserve
in the first place,

so I really like
the adventure.