Chase Elliot is one of the most famous drivers in NASCAR currently. His No.9 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 is also very popular. The No.9 has a rich history in the sport but for Elliot, it meant something else. He inherited the number at Hendrick Motorsports to honor his father, Bill Elliot who himself was a NASCAR driver back in the day.
The real reason behind changing his car number to 9 from 24
The Cup Series champion, Chase Elliot made his Cup Series debut with Hendrick Motorsports in 2015. His first race took place at the STP 500 at Martinsville. His debut car was the No.25 Chevrolet that he drove with crew chief Kenny Francis.
Elliot's full-time season came in 2016 when he took over the No.24 Chevrolet from Jeff Gordon, who decided to retire from the sport at the end of 2015, that's when HMS brought Elliot for No.24.
It was ahead of the 2018 season when Hendrick Motorsports announced that Elliot would take over the No.9 car. His previous car number was given to William Byron. Elliot still drives the same number car but why did he change his number after two years since making his full-time debut?
It was to honour his dad, Bill Elliot. Elliot Sr. is a former NASCAR driver who is a Cup Series champion and has won the Daytona 500 twice. He drove the No.9 car in the NASCAR Cup Series and the first time he did it was in 1976. He went on to drive the car for a significant amount of time and kept on winning races as No.9 became popular as each year passed by. Elliot kept the No.9 car with him till 2004.
Apart from Bill Elliot, Kasey Kahne, Marcos Ambrose and Sam Hornish Jr. all drove the No.9 car for Richard Petty Motorsports before HMS claimed the number back. It was about time that Chase Elliot inherited his father's number and still drives the same number car.
Chase Elliot and No.9 car a winning combination
In his first two seasons in the NASCAR Cup Series, Chase Elliot failed to convert any race into a victory. But, since he took the No.9 car with HMS, he has been delivering some outstanding performances on the track.
In his third race with the No.9 car, Elliot took home his first victory at Watkins Glen. Not only this, but he went on to win two more races that very season. He won the 2020 Cup Series championship and also secured the 2022 Regular season. On top of it, the 2020 NASCAR All-Star Race win also came in the same car and to date, he has 199 victories with the No.9 car.
In 2024, he won at Texas Motor Speedway which secured his place in the playoffs.
