CONCORD, N.C. - As a kid, many of us played on local basketball courts dreaming of sinking a game-winning shot in the NBA Finals, or in our backyards hitting a “walk-off” grand slam to capture the World Series.
Those occasions are rare, yet unforgettable. Remember Bill Mazeroski in the 1960 World Series? How about Kris Jenkins' buzzer beater to help Villanova win the 2016 NCAA Basketball national title?
When you think of such moments in NASCAR, what Chase Elliott did to win the 2020 Cup Series championship has to be at the top of list.
Entering the fall Martinsville race in 2020, Elliott was among the Round of 8 playoff drivers that had yet to qualify for the Championship 4. But NASCAR’s most popular driver wasn’t in position to earn enough points to advance – so winning was his only option. Which, after a long season of intense competition and a hard-fought playoff, to just miss the title fight by one race is an extremely bitter pill to swallow.
Prior, Elliott was asked during his pre-race teleconference what winning an early Round of 8 race would mean versus grabbing momentum coming out of Martinsville.
“I certainly think that the team that wins that very first race in the Round of 8 and is locked in, you have more time to think about what car you’re going to take to the final race,” Elliott said. “You have more time to massage on it. I do think that (there) would be a slight advantage in car selection and time to tweak on those really, really, small, fine-tuning items that could potentially add up to make a difference.”
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“I can also see momentum being big, too,” Elliott countered. “If you get on a roll, I could see winning Martinsville being a big momentum-booster for that team, whoever wins on Sunday, to propel them and have a really good shot the following week too. So, I think it’s really about how you ride the wave if you are that team that can win that very last race in the Round of 8.”
And riding the wave is exactly what he did.
Elliott started in the eighth spot, steadily moving up through the field and securing fourth by the end of stage one. After stopping for four tires, fuel and a slight air pressure adjustment, Elliott and the No. 9 NAPA crew became the team to beat. On the restart, Elliott moved to the front, taking the lead and winning stage two.
Throughout the second half of the race, Elliott got the better of the field, leading 236 of the 500 total laps run, distancing runner-up Ryan Blaney by 6.577 seconds at the stripe. The win allowed the No. 9 team to overcome a 42-point deficit from the cutline entering the race.
While it seemed like the team had everything under control, there was still a moment of potential disaster. During one of Elliott’s pit stops, jackman T.J. Semke jumped over pit wall just prior to Elliott coming to a complete stop in his stall. Realizing what he had done, Semke ran back towards the wall, tagging his foot per the rules, avoiding a costly penalty.
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“To be backed into a corner like that and have to win tonight, I feel like that’s what we’ve been missing these past four of five years,” Elliott said in the post-race press conference. “To perform when we don’t have a choice. And to do that tonight, I couldn’t ask for a better night. It’s just unreal.”
The win was an impressive “walk-off” moment for a team that had not been there before.
"These are the moments you can only dream of. You know, and this is a dream. I’m just hoping I never wake up."
Chase Elliott
However, Phoenix was on the horizon. And Elliott was amid heady competition that weekend as Denny Hamlin, Brad Keselowski and Joey Logano were also in the Championship 4 that weekend. At the time, Logano and Keselowski had already experienced winning it all, while Elliott and Hamlin were after their first.
Things did not begin off well, starting at the back of the field when the car had trouble passing pre-race inspection. Despite the momentum heading into the race, Elliott had to earn every inch of pavement at Phoenix Raceway on that day.
Once the race began, the Dawsonville, Ga. driver was on a mission. Like Martinsville, Elliott had a very fast race car and quickly moved through the field, grabbing the third slot just before the end of stage one.
Staying in the top five throughout stage two, he battled his way to second as the yellow waved to close out stage two. It was clear that crew chief Alan Gustafson and his Hendrick Motorsports crew were onto something.
With 43 laps remaining, Elliott caught and passed leader Logano and never looked back, crossing the finish line 2.74 seconds ahead of Keselowski, who moved up to second on the day. He wound up leading 153 of the 312 total laps completed.
Once again, Elliott had stunned the NASCAR world, capturing the ultimate “walk-off” victory and becoming the third youngest Cup Series champion in history. The triumph also matched his father's feat in 1988 as Bill Elliott claimed his Cup Series championship in dominating fashion.
The Elliotts became only the third father-son duo to achieve championship status, joining Lee and Richard Petty and Dale and Ned Jarrett.
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"I’m not sure I could have sat down and drawn it up any better,” Elliott said during the post-race presser. “For me, it’s unbelievable. Just so grateful for the opportunities and the things I’ve had over the years, great people. My mom and dad and their support obviously have been from the beginning. Mr. Hendrick came in and really changed my life when he wanted to help.
“Not to sound like a NASCAR driver, but NAPA Auto Parts, too, coming in when they did,” Elliott added. “2014 wouldn’t have happened without them and the (Xfinity Series) championship that came that season. And man, they’ve been a champion partner for years. Now they have a championship to go with it.”
Elliott was living the dream of every young driver – and to do it by winning the final two races of the year was the cherry on top.
“Oh my gosh, to share a moment like that in Jimmie’s (Johnson) last race and to win and to lock up the championship,” Elliott said. “Those are the moments you can only dream of. You know, and this is a dream. I’m just hoping I never wake up."