Chase Elliott Wins Phoenix and Becomes NASCAR Cup Champion

Patrick Breen/USA Today

AVONDALE, AZ – RIS - Like father, like son, Chase Elliott won the playoff race at Phoenix Raceway on Sunday to join his father, Bill Elliott, as champion of the NASCAR Cup Series. The younger Elliott is the third-youngest champion in series history. He wins the crown on a day that seven-time champ Jimmie Johnson ran his final Cup race as a full-time series driver before embarking on an IndyCar campaign, while Cup champion Matt Kenseth and Clint Bowyer ended their careers.

“I’m at a loss for words,” said Elliott. “This is unbelievable. Oh my gosh, we did it. We did it. Unreal.”

When Elliott celebrated with Johnson and car owner Rick Hendrick, Elliott just kept saying “Can you believe it?” The win and title by Elliott were commemorated by the siren blaring at the Dawsonville Pool Hall in his hometown in Georgia.

Elliott’s title denied Denny Hamlin, in his 15th full-time season, his first crown. Elliott also prevented Team Penske drivers Joey Logano and Brad Keselowski from each celebrating their second Cup crown.

Keselowski finished second. Logano placed third. Hamlin was fourth. Johnson completed the top five.

“Didn’t have the speed at the right time,” Logano, who led 125 laps, primarily in the first third of the race, it stings not winning but at the same time we’re stronger for going through it.”

Keselowski gave it a valiant try. “I would have liked to have one of those late-race yellows like we saw in the Truck race and the Xfinity race, said Keselowski .”I thought we were pretty good there and just didn’t have the track position to make it show.”

Hamlin felt it was the car his team put under him. “We just as an organization got to get a little better, especially on the short tracks. It seems like we were a little bit off all year. That was all I had.”

The No. 9 car took the lead for good with 42 laps to go when Elliott slipped underneath Logano’s car. Elliott, making his first title race appearance, led 153 of the 312 laps. Only Bill Rexford (age 23 in 1950) and Jeff Gordon (age 24 in 1995) won titles at a younger age. The Elliotts become the third father/son combination to win Cup titles, joining Lee and Richard Petty and Ned and Dale Jarrett.

“All you can dream for is an opportunity, and I’ve been very fortunate to have that over the years,” Elliott said. “You know, and that’s all thanks to some great people. You know, my parents obviously have played a huge role. The past year has been tough. I lost my best friend about a year ago tonight. Lost my grandmother last year. And all those things bring families closer, so I really can’t thank them enough.

“Mr. Hendrick, for taking a chance on me and believing in me when a lot of people didn’t. I think it really says a lot about him. And then to have a championship sponsor like NAPA, all of our partners, and Chevrolet, huge thanks to Team Hendrick and everybody at our shop that peaked at the right time. That’s all we can ask for.”

Elliott finished the season with five wins. He won three of the last five playoff races. He might not have had a chance to win the title had his jackman. T.J. Semke not tagged back up to the pit wall after jumping over the wall too soon in last week’s race at Martinsville. By doing that, the team avoided a penalty and Elliott, in a must-win situation, went on to score the victory and secure a spot in the Championship 4.

He won Sunday’s race after starting at the rear of the 39-car field because his Chevrolet failed inspection twice before the race. That did little to hinder Elliot, who climbed into the top 10 in 26 laps and took the lead for the first time on Lap 79.

The championship is the first for crew chief Alan Gustafson, who celebrated his fourth win at Phoenix with four different drivers. His title comes in the last race for seven-time champion Chad Knaus, who will move into an executive role at Hendrick Motorsports after this season.

“There’s no crew chief in the garage more deserving than him,” Elliott said about Gustafson.

As we come to the end of a season, it is not lost on many minds that must marvel at how NASCAR pulled off having so many races. After Covid-19 restrictions threatened to ruin the season. After month, NASCAR came back with a full schedule, albeit missing many tracks, mandated proper protections (facemasks and limited fans, and hardly missed a beat. Earlier in the season Kevin Harvick and Hamlin dominated and it looked like the season would be a battle between those two. It wasn’t to be. At last week’s race at Martinsville Speedway, Harvick missed the setup and Hamlin barely made it. 

Here’s hoping for better health for America and a tremendous 2021 season. For this season, we have to give NASCAR a big “attaboy.”

Unofficial results, Season Finale 500, Phoenix Raceway

Fin, Str, Driver, Car, Laps, St1, St2, Tms Led, Laps Led, ]Pts, Status
1) 1, *Chase Elliott (P), No. 9 NAPA Auto Parts Chevrolet, 312, 3, 2, 7, 153, 40, Running
2) 3, Brad Keselowski (P), No. 2 Discount Tire Ford, 312, 4, 1, 2, 16, 35, Running
3) 2, Joey Logano (P), No. 22 Shell Pennzoil Ford, 312, 1, 3, 4, 125, 34, Running
4) 4, Denny Hamlin (P), No. 11 FedEx Express Toyota, 312, 2, 4, , , 33, Running
5) 26, Jimmie Johnson, No. 48 Ally Chevrolet, 312, , 6, 1, 4, 37, Running
6) 5, Ryan Blaney, No. 12 Menards/MOEN Ford, 312, 5, 5, 1, 1, 43, Running
7) 11, Kevin Harvick, No. 4 Busch Light Ford, 312, , , , , 30, Running
8) 12, Matt DiBenedetto, No. 21 Motorcraft/Quick Lane Ford, 312, 10, 9, 1, 1, 32, Running
9) 25, William Byron, No. 24 Axalta Chevrolet, 312, , 10, , , 29, Running
10) 13, Martin Truex Jr., No. 19 Bass Pro Shops Toyota, 312, , , , , 27, Running
11) 8, Kyle Busch, No. 18 M&M's Toyota, 312, 6, 8, , , 34, Running
12) 7, Kurt Busch, No. 1 Monster Energy Chevrolet, 312, 9, 7, 1, 4, 31, Running
13) 10, Aric Almirola, No. 10 Smithfield Ford, 311, , , 1, 7, 24, Running
14) 9, Clint Bowyer, No. 14 Rush/HAAS CNC Ford, 311, 8, , , , 26, Running
15) 23, Bubba Wallace, No. 43 Door Dash Chevrolet, 311, , , , , 22, Running
16) 6, Alex Bowman, No. 88 ChevyGoods.com/Truck Hero Chevrolet, 311, 7, , , , 25, Running
17) 17, Christopher Bell #, No. 95 Rheem/Smurfit Kappa Toyota, 311, , , , , 20, Running
18) 18, Austin Dillon, No. 3 DOW Chevrolet, 311, , , , , 19, Running
19) 21, Tyler Reddick #, No. 8 I Am Second Chevrolet, 311, , , , , 18, Running
20) 31, Chris Buescher, No. 17 Fastenal Ford, 311, , , , , 17, Running
21) 22, Ty Dillon, No. 13 GEICO Chevrolet, 311, , , , , 16, Running
22) 14, Erik Jones, No. 20 DEWALT Atomic Toyota, 311, , , , , 15, Running
23) 29, Michael McDowell, No. 34 Love's Travel Stops Ford, 311, , , , , 14, Running
24) 19, Ryan Newman, No. 6 Guaranteed Rate Ford, 311, , , , , 13, Running
25) 16, Matt Kenseth, No. 42 Credit One Bank Chevrolet, 311, , , , , 12, Running
26) 27, John Hunter Nemechek #, No. 38 Fire Alarm Services Ford, 311, , , , , 11, Running
27) 20, Ricky Stenhouse Jr., No. 47 Kroger Chevrolet, 310, , , 1, 1, 10, Running
28) 15, Cole Custer #, No. 41 HaasTooling.com Ford, 310, , , , , 9, Running
29) 35, Brennan Poole #, No. 15 GOETTL Chevrolet, 309, , , , , 8, Running
30) 32, JJ Yeley(i), No. 27 Fat Boy Chevrolet, 306, , , , , 0, Running
31) 30, * Daniel Suarez, No. 96 PeacockTV - Can't Not Watch Toyota, 306, , , , , 6, Running
32) 37, Joey Gase(i), No. 51 Donate Life AZ Ford, 302, , , , , 0, Running
33) 36, James Davison, No. 53 Hopegivers Ford, 302, , , , , 4, Running
34) 24, Ryan Preece, No. 37 Honey Nut Cheerios Chevrolet, 299, , , , , 3, Running
35) 38, Josh Bilicki(i), No. 77 12secondculturebook.com/DECK Chevrolet, 296, , , , , 0, Running
36) 33, * Timmy Hill(i), No. 66 RoofClaim.com Toyota, 288, , , , , 0, Running
37) 39, * Garrett Smithley(i), No. 7 Victory Lane Chevrolet, 261, , , , , 0, Rear End
38) 28, Corey LaJoie, No. 32 Pala Casino Ford, 215, , , , , 1, Suspension
39) 34, Quin Houff #, No. 00 CREEK Enterprises Inc. Chevrolet, 149, , , , , 1, Handling
(*) Season Champion, (i) Ineligible for driver points in this series, (#) Rookie, (P) Playoffs qualified

Time: 2 hrs, 47 mins, 0 secs.
Length: 312 laps, 312 miles

Average speed: 112.096 mph
Margin of victory: 2.740 seconds

Stage 1 top 10: 22, 11, 9, 2, 12, 18, 88, 14, 1, 21

Stage 2 top 10: 2, 9, 22, 11, 12, 48, 1, 18, 21, 24

Comments: Chase Elliott won the Season Finale 500 at Phoenix Raceway, his 11th victory in the NASCAR Cup Series.

Prior to the start, the following vehicle(s) dropped to the rear of the field for the reasons indicated: Nos. 9, 15 (multiple inspection failures). 

Caution Flags: 4 for 27 laps:
Laps: 32-36 (Competition [15]);
77-83 (Stage 1 Conclusion [15]);
162-167 (#53 Incident Turn 2 [88]);
192-200 (Stage 2 Conclusion [15]).

Lead Changes: 19 among 9 drivers:
C. Elliott (P) 0;
J. Logano (P) 1-32;
R. Blaney 33;
J. Logano (P) 34-78;
C. Elliott (P) 79;
J. Logano (P) 80-119;
C. Elliott (P) 120-138;
J. Johnson 139-142;
M. DiBenedetto 143;
A. Almirola 144-150;
C. Elliott (P) 151-163;
K. Busch 164-167;
C. Elliott (P) 168-172;
B. Keselowski (P) 173-182;
C. Elliott (P) 183-189;
B. Keselowski (P) 190-195;
C. Elliott (P) 196-260;
R. Stenhouse Jr. 261;
J. Logano (P) 262-269;
C. Elliott (P) 270-312.

American Ethanol Green Flag Restart Award: Chase Elliott, No. 9
Sunoco Rookie of the Race: Christopher Bell, No. 95

Unofficial Season Point Standings, 2020 NASCAR Cup Series
Rank, Driver, Car, Starts, GL, Points, Ldr, Nxt, Race Wins, Stage Wins, Playoff Pts
1) Chase Elliott (P), 9, 36, 1, 5040, 0, 0, 5, 10, 27
2) Brad Keselowski (P), 2, 36, 1, 5035, -5, 5, 4, 8, 35
3) Joey Logano (P), 22, 36, -2, 5034, -6, 1, 3, 7, 22
4) Denny Hamlin (P), 11, 36, 0, 5033, -7, 1, 7, 11, 54
5) Kevin Harvick, 4, 36, 0, 2410, -2630, 2623, 9, 7, 67
6) Alex Bowman, 88, 36, 0, 2371, -2669, 39, 1, 4, 9
7) Martin Truex Jr) 19, 36, 0, 2341, -2699, 30, 1, 5, 17
8) Kyle Busch, 18, 36, 0, 2341, -2699, 0, 1, 3, 4
9) Ryan Blaney, 12, 36, 0, 2336, -2704, 5, 1, 4, 14
10) Kurt Busch, 1, 36, 1, 2287, -2753, 49, 1, 1, 6
11) Austin Dillon, 3, 35, -1, 2277, -2763, 10, 1, 0, 5
12) Clint Bowyer, 14, 36, 0, 2254, -2786, 23, 0, 4, 4
13) Matt DiBenedetto, 21, 36, 1, 2249, -2791, 5, 0, 0, 0
14) William Byron, 24, 36, -1, 2247, -2793, 2, 1, 2, 7
15) Aric Almirola, 10, 36, 0, 2235, -2805, 12, 0, 2, 5
16) Cole Custer #, 41, 36, 0, 2202, -2838, 33, 1, 0, 5
17) Erik Jones, 20, 36, 0, 873, -4167, 1329, 0, 0, 0
18) Jimmie Johnson, 48, 35, 0, 836, -4204, 37, 0, 1, 0
19) Tyler Reddick #, 8, 36, 0, 780, -4260, 56, 0, 1, 0
20) Christopher Bell #, 95, 36, 0, 678, -4362, 102, 0, 0, 0
21) Chris Buescher, 17, 36, 0, 645, -4395, 33, 0, 1, 1
22) Bubba Wallace, 43, 36, 0, 597, -4443, 48, 0, 0, 0
23) Michael McDowell, 34, 36, 1, 588, -4452, 9, 0, 0, 0
24) Ricky Stenhouse Jr) 47, 36, -1, 584, -4456, 4, 0, 1, 0
25) Ryan Newman, 6, 33, 0, 566, -4474, 18, 0, 0, 0
26) Ty Dillon, 13, 36, 0, 556, -4484, 10, 0, 1, 1
27) John Hunter Nemechek #, 38, 36, 0, 534, -4506, 22, 0, 0, 0
28) Matt Kenseth, 42, 32, 0, 521, -4519, 13, 0, 0, 0
29) Ryan Preece, 37, 36, 0, 477, -4563, 44, 0, 0, 0
30) Corey LaJoie, 32, 36, 0, 408, -4632, 69, 0, 0, 0
31) Daniel Suarez, 96, 35, 0, 365, -4675, 43, 0, 0, 0
32) Brennan Poole #, 15, 35, 0, 269, -4771, 96, 0, 0, 0
33) Quin Houff #, 00, 36, 0, 214, -4826, 55, 0, 0, 0
34) Kyle Larson, , 4, 0, 121, -4919, 93, 0, 0, 0
35) Brendan Gaughan, , 5, 0, 78, -4962, 43, 0, 0, 0
36) Reed Sorenson, , 17, 0, 68, -4972, 10, 0, 0, 0
37) James Davison, 53, 15, 0, 56, -4984, 12, 0, 0, 0
38) Stanton Barrett, , 1, 0, 1, -5039, 55, 0, 0, 0
39) David Ragan(i), , 1, 0, 0, -5040, 1, 0, 0, 0
40) Kaz Grala(i), , 1, 0, 0, -5040, 0, 0, 0, 0
41) Justin Haley(i), , 2, 0, 0, -5040, 0, 0, 0, 0
42) Timmy Hill(i), 66, 36, 0, 0, -5040, 0, 0, 0, 0
43) Ross Chastain(i), , 8, 0, 0, -5040, 0, 0, 0, 0
44) Joey Gase(i), 51, 33, 0, 0, -5040, 0, 0, 0, 0
45) Cody Ware(i), , 1, 0, 0, -5040, 0, 0, 0, 0
46) JJ Yeley(i), 27, 34, 0, 0, -5040, 0, 0, 0, 0
47) BJ Mcleod(i), , 16, 0, 0, -5040, 0, 0, 0, 0
48) Garrett Smithley(i), 7, 26, 0, 0, -5040, 0, 0, 0, 0
49) Josh Bilicki(i), 77, 22, 0, 0, -5040, 0, 0, 0, 0
50) Gray Gaulding(i), , 9, 0, 0, -5040, 0, 0, 0, 0
51) David Starr(i), , 1, 0, 0, -5040, 0, 0, 0, 0
52) Chad Finchum(i), , 3, 0, 0, -5040, 0, 0, 0, 0
53) Justin Allgaier(i), , 1, 0, 0, -5040, 0, 0, 0, 0
54) Bayley Currey(i), , 1, 0, 0, -5040, 0, 0, 0, 0