Chase Elliott captured his first major racing title last weekend when he was named champion in the Young Guns division of both the Georgia Winter Series and the Winter Flurry Series...
Chase Elliott captured his first major racing title last weekend when he was named champion in the Young Guns division of both the Georgia Winter Series and the Winter Flurry Series.
Elliott won the final event of the combined Georgia Winter / Winter Flurry Series at Atlanta Motor Speedway in the No. 9 ABF Bandolero, capping off a stellar season in which he won ten of the twelve events and finished no worse than third in his first season in the Young Guns division of the Bandolero class. Elliott also set a new Young Guns track record for AMS’ Thunder Ring on December 14, 2007, pacing the quarter-mile oval in 16.950 seconds.
Twelve year-old Elliott, son of NASCAR champion Bill Elliott, plans to follow in his famous father’s footsteps.
“It was fun,” Elliott said after clinching the championship. “We’re just working hard, having a good time. We’re moving into a Legends car this summer and just want to keep moving up. I guess my goal is to get to Cup one day. I would also like to thank ABF for supporting me as I continue moving up through racing. They have been my sponsor since last summer, and I am looking forward to racing for them again this summer and in the future.”
Bill Elliott, who also serves as crew chief for his son, was “tickled to death that nothing fell off the car” during the race. “He [Chase] climbed out and said, ‘It’s junk.’ I guess he must have got that from me, but he’s doing a good job. Right now, it’s just been a good way to spend time with him.”
Cindy Elliott, Chase’s mother and manager, says, “I tried to deter him when he was younger. I gave him golf lessons, tried to get him involved in baseball. But ever since he’s been old enough to talk, he’s wanted to be a race car driver. And he’s doing a great job, having a lot of fun. I’m so proud of him.”
Elliott, development driver for Bill Elliott Racing, will move up from the Bandolero to the Legends class for this summer’s Thursday Thunder Series at Atlanta Motor Speedway. ABF Freight System, Inc. will continue to sponsor Elliott as he competes in the green No. 9 ABF Legends car in the Semi Pro field.
Elliott will also compete for the INEX Semi Pro championship in 2008. INEX is the international sanctioning body of the Legends, Bandolero and Thunder Roadster Cars. Formed in 1995, INEX was developed to promote, organize and sanction Legends Car, Bandolero and Thunder Roadster racing across the United States, Canada and Europe. For more information about the INEX organization, please visit 600racing.com.
Continue to follow Chase Elliott and his racing career, including post-race blogs by Chase himself, at billelliott.com and teamabfracing.com.
About ABF Freight System, Inc: Established 1923, ABF is recognized as best-in-class for safety, security, technology and freight-handling. InformationWeek, CIO, InfoWorld, and BtoB magazines have cited ABF’s strategic use of information technology as exemplary. ABF is the only five-time winner of the American Trucking Associations President’s Trophy for Safety. ABF is the only carrier to earn both the Excellence in Claims/Loss Prevention Award and the Excellence in Security Award in the same year, which ABF accomplished twice.
ABF provides guaranteed service for expedited or time-definite shipments via its TimeKeeper® service. Regional shipments are handled via the carrier’s RPM Network, providing next-day and second-day shipping. The ABF system stretches throughout North America, with local service centers serving all 50 states, Canada, Mexico, Guam and Puerto Rico. Globally, the carrier serves 250 ports in more than 130 countries. In Georgia, ABF provides direct service to and from 830 points. ABF is the largest subsidiary of Arkansas Best Corporation (Nasdaq: ABFS).
For more information, please visit abf.com and teamabfracing.com.