The numbers line up for father and son in Chase Elliott’s win

WATKINS GLEN, NY - AUGUST 05: Chase Elliott, driver of the #9 SunEnergy1 Chevrolet, is congratulated by his father and NASCAR Hall of Famer Bill Elliott in Victory Lane after winning the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series GoBowling at The Glen at Watkins Glen International on August 5, 2018 in Watkins Glen, New York. (Photo by Chris Trotman/Getty Images)

Driving the No. 9 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet, Chase Elliott won his first monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series race in his 99th start.

His father, NASCAR Hall of Famer Bill Elliott, won his 1988 championship in Harry Melling’s Ford—also bearing the No. 9.

The numerology wasn’t lost on the elder Elliott, who was spotting for his son on the backstretch at Watkins Glen and actually beat his son to Victory Lane, because Chase ran out of gas after taking the checkered flag and needed a push from teammate Jimmie Johnson.

“You talk about numbers—I think this was his 99th start, correct?” Bill Elliott said. “The 9 car wins the 99th start. I won my first Cup race at a road course in Riverside. The only Xfinity race I ever won was right here on a road course, and lo and behold, he wins his first on a road course.

“It’s kind of—you don’t think about these things until kind of after the race, but it’s kind of weird.”

Elliott could have added that the last three victories for the No. 9 car have come at Watkins Glen—the previous two by road course ace Marcos Ambrose in 2011 and 2012.

Greg Engle
About Greg Engle 7421 Articles
Greg is a published award winning sportswriter who spent 23 years combined active and active reserve military service, much of that in and around the Special Operations community. Greg is the author of "The Nuts and Bolts of NASCAR: The Definitive Viewers' Guide to Big-Time Stock Car Auto Racing" and has been published in major publications across the country including the Los Angeles Times, the Cleveland Plain Dealer and the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. He was also a contributor to Chicken Soup for the NASCAR Soul, published in 2010, and the Christmas edition in 2016. He wrote as the NASCAR, Formula 1, Auto Reviews and National Veterans Affairs Examiner for Examiner.com and has appeared on Fox News. He holds a BS degree in communications, a Masters degree in psychology and is currently a PhD candidate majoring in psychology. He is currently the weekend Motorsports Editor for Autoweek.