CONCORD, N.C. -- A piece of NASCAR Cup Series history is up for bid – and for a great cause.
The auction for the door panel of Chase Elliott’s race-winning No. 9 LLumar Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 1LE from the Circuit of The Americas race went live Tuesday at 7 p.m. ET and will run until Sunday, May 30 at 7 p.m. ET. All proceeds will benefit Victory Junction.
Elliott’s victory at COTA was one for the ages. The win was No. 268 for Hendrick Motorsports, which tied the organization with the legendary Petty Enterprises for the all-time NASCAR Cup Series team record. In addition to winning the inaugural Cup race at the Austin, Texas track, Elliott delivered the milestone 800th victory in the series for manufacturer Chevrolet.
The one-of-a-kind door is signed by 13-time NASCAR Cup Series champion owner Rick Hendrick, seven-time champion driver Richard Petty, 2020 champion Elliott, crew chief Alan Gustafson and the No. 9 team.
Petty added the No. 43 to his signature, which has been a rare feature since he retired from Cup racing in 1992. Petty estimated in that nearly 30-year span, he's only written out his legendary car number with his signature 10 times.
Victory Junction was the dream of Adam Petty, a fourth-generation race car driver from the famous Petty family and a rising star in the sport. It enriches the lives of children with serious illnesses by providing life-changing camping experiences that are exciting, fun and empowering, at no cost to children or their families.
“Victory Junction has been around as long as I can remember, and I feel like Richard and their team have done a great job growing that,” Elliott said. “Mr. Hendrick has always done a good job of trying to give back to areas and folks, not just in the racing community. I think it’s important to show some sign of respect in a way, but more importantly try and help some kids and their families if we can in any way possible. I think it’s a great way to show that support for them.”
Elliott was in the lead at Circuit of The Americas with 14 laps to go when heavy rain forced the early conclusion of the race. It was his first win of the season and put Hendrick Motorsports one victory away from breaking the all-time Cup Series wins record.
“Any time you can help Victory Junction it’s incredibly humbling and amazing thing to do,” Gustafson said. “That place is amazing; the things they do for people and the way they do it just represents the greatest thing about human beings and the human spirit.”
Click here to visit the online auction.