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  • Kurt Busch: ‘I really wanted to deliver for my guys today’

    Kurt Busch: ‘I really wanted to deliver for my guys today’

    [media-credit name=”Credit: By Ezra Shaw, Getty Images” align=”alignright” width=”242″][/media-credit]The last few weeks have been tough on Kurt Busch. From struggles with performance, saying the wrong things and getting suspended, he finally had a nice Sunday drive with no controversy.

    Busch came home third in his No. 51 Phoenix Racing Chevrolet. The bare red and white machine battled with the much better funded Michael Waltrip and Tony Stewart Racing teams and held its own. For Busch, it was bittersweet. A well-earned finish but a case of what could have been, too.

    “It was just a full weekend of road racing,” said Busch afterwards. “It was a solid day yesterday and even better day today. To have a nice, steady pace and to have smooth pit strategy from my Phoenix Racing guys reminded me a lot of last year and I thought I could deliver for them. We were in contention. We made it all the way to the final restart and today with all those long green flag runs, I thought the race would play into our favor.”

    The No. 51 Chevrolet was better suited for the longer runs, which he certainly showed. The defending race winner gave it his best shot as he led two laps and remained firmly in the top five for the second half of the event. Slowly chipping away, making a run at what would have been an improbably victory.

    “I just kept thinking, ‘He’s a dirt late model racer from the Midwest; there’s no way he’s going to be able to run the road course,’” Busch said of winner Clint Bowyer. “And he did. He did great. That car and our car, I think we separated ourselves from the pack today.”

    Then came the one moment in 112 laps that Busch would love to have back. One moment that took him from contender to third. While making a run on Bowyer for the lead late in the race, Busch hit the inside tire barrier in turn 11.

    The contact seemed much harder than in years past. Instead of the tires giving away, they stayed put. Busch’s machine suffered damage in the front and ended up breaking a bar in the rear of the car. Suddenly his 51 was slightly swinging back and forth, right before the final restart of the day.

    It ended up being the difference. Busch couldn’t do anything with Bowyer and he lost the spot to Tony Stewart. Afterwards Busch found that the sets of tires that sit on the inside of turn 11 were bolted down, no longer as giving as they had been in the past.

    “Today we came home third,” he said. “Chevrolet and Monster Energy and Tag Heuer, our three big brands with us this year – I’m a bit choked up. I just made a little mistake their in turn 11. Those tires have never been bolted down, ever and I clipped a set of tires and it broke the front suspension and the rear panhard bar and I couldn’t compete for the win after that; so a mistake there.

    “But if we pulled into Victory Lane with all-red car and no sponsor, here in California, I thought it was team tiger blood with Charlie Sheen around.”

    Busch backed up his solid eighth place finish on Saturday in the Nationwide Series race at Road America. Driving for little brother Kyle’s team, Busch flexed his muscle and sharpened his road course skills. Along with his Sonoma win last season Busch won at Watkins Glen in the NNS while subbing for then injured teammate Brad Keselowski.

    This time around he nearly did it again. And it would have been a whole bigger for Busch, who was clearly choked up.

    “When you show up and you’re a third of the budget and you almost bring it to Victory Lane, you can’t say that one guy does it out here,” Busch said. “It takes a full team effort. But I really want to deliver for my guys today, and being that close and make one mistake, it’s a tough game. That’s why it’s Sprint Cup.”

    Not to mention the team that has stuck behind him through the thick and the thin. Sunday’s finish was the first top five for Busch in 2012, they remain 27th in points heading into Kentucky.

    “They bring the best out in me,” said Busch of his Phoenix team. “This is a no nonsense group for a bunch of racers. The way this program feels is we are a bunch of boy scouts where we have to support each other and teach each other things and everybody has three jobs on this team.

    “Yeah, the closest family atmosphere I’ve ever had to racing with Kyle and my dad. We are not blood brothers or anything and cut fingers and tough and go team tiger blood or anything, but it’s really a neat group. Nick’s [Harrison, crew chief] leadership is just so much fun just to follow him and be a part of.”

  • Boris Said Says ‘I’m Back’

    Boris Said Says ‘I’m Back’

    Boris Said has just two words to share with his fans, dubbed ‘Said heads’ in honor of the curly wigs they wear to mimic their driver’s mane. “I’m back,” Said said to his fans. “And I hope you didn’t forget me.”

    [media-credit name=”Photo by Jason Smith/Getty Images” align=”alignright” width=”217″][/media-credit]After being absent since August of last year, Said will be taking over for young up-and-coming driver Landon Cassill in the No. 51 Security Benefit/Thank A Teacher Today Chevrolet. Said will be proudly representing one of his favorite people, James Finch, and his team Phoenix Racing on the road course in Sonoma.

    Cassill who had his career best finish in the 12th position last weekend in the Irish hills of Michigan, will return to the helm of his race car the following weekend at Daytona.

    “I’m pretty excited about it,” Said said. “Landon is not a road course guy and they’re not running for points so they decided to put me in.”

    “I’m in a Hendrick car owned by James Finch,” Said continued. “I ran for him in Mexico City in the Nationwide Series and had a blast with him.”

    “I haven’t been in a car since last August so I’m chomping at the bit to get in and drive one.”

    Although off the NASCAR Cup circuit for some time, Said has been keeping busy in other areas of racing. He also has entered a whole new phase of his life, with a ‘real job’ as he terms it, as well as a new partner to boot.

    “The biggest thing I’ve been doing is the Grand Am Rolex Series,” Said said. “My other big thing is that I was awarded a BMW franchise, the first one in ten years that BMW has awarded.”

    “We’ve been open two weeks and one day,” Said continued. “And my partner is Rick Hendrick, so that’s really exciting working with him.”

    “Never in my wildest dreams did I ever think I’d be a partner with Rick Hendrick,” Said advised. “So, I’ve been working a real job which has been pretty fun.”

    “I guess they’ll let me out of the dealership for the race,” Said said.

    What has Said missed most about being behind the wheel?  Simply the roar of the engines according to this road course racer, as well as the thrill of the competition.

    “It’s a blast feeling the horsepower,” Said shared. “It’s a blast racing with those guys.”

    “They are a bunch of animals and it’s so much fun,” Said continued. “I’ve always wished I could do it full-time but I’ve always cherished every race I get to do.”

    “I can’t wait to go out and start driving.”

    Said has been keeping up with the action on the track throughout the time that he has been away. And he realizes that at Sonoma, there will be plenty of action, especially with the double file restarts.

    “Especially at Infineon, I don’t think there’s a more exciting track to have those double file restarts,” Said advised. “The first couple of times that I did it, I had to be cautious and I just got run over. So, there’s no other way but to be aggressive.”

    “I always hear that ‘you only run one race and you shouldn’t mess with the regulars, blah, blah blah’,” Said continued. “But the fact is that James Finch is a regular and he pays me to do a job. I want to be as aggressive as I can no matter who I’m racing with.”

    While Said knows that the competition will be fierce, he is hoping that the final outcome will not be decided on fuel mileage, as so many races have recently.

    “I hope it doesn’t come down to fuel mileage,” Said said. “That’s not my style. But I would take it any way I could.”

    “I’ve been there and I’ve been the fastest car and then have had really bad luck,” Said continued. “It just takes so much to get a good finish in one of those races, whether it’s pit stops or knowing when to pit or not to pit, or getting involved with somebody. There’s so much that can go wrong.”

    Said is most grateful that he will not have to qualify in on time. Finch’s Phoenix Racing car is firmly locked into the show.

    “The last time we had that opportunity, I was in the Army car and I sat on the pole,” Said advised. “To not have that pressure feels so good.”

    Does Said see himself as that ‘road course ringer’?

    “You know I don’t like that term,” Said shared. “But I think it’s good because at least people are talking about us.”

    “The thing is that no part-time guy has ever won a Cup race,” Said continued. “But it’s still possible. Is it likely? No. It’s a long shot but it’s a long shot for lots of guys.”

    “I’m hoping that I can be competitive and I’m going to try my hardest to be competitive,” Said advised. “We’ve always run in the top-10 there and when that happens, you never know.”

    “You can always get lucky,” Said continued. “And I hope I can put on a good show.”

  • Surprising and Not Surprising: Heluva Good! Sour Cream Dips 400

    Surprising and Not Surprising: Heluva Good! Sour Cream Dips 400

    From oil pan issues for the cars of Joe Gibbs Racing to the end of probation for driver rivals Kyle Busch and Kevin Harvick, the Irish hills of Michigan once again saw plenty of action for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series.

    [media-credit name=”CIA Stock Photo” align=”alignright” width=”265″][/media-credit]Here is what was surprising and not surprising from the 43rd annual Heluva Good! Sour Cream Dips 400 at Michigan International Speedway.

    Surprising: It was surprising that Denny Hamlin, driver of the No. 11 FedEx Office Toyota, did not win last weekend at Pocono Raceway, a place that he had ‘owned’ for so many races in the past. But it was also surprising the Hamlin, who has been battling engine failures and other bad luck so mightily this season, finally put that behind him and took the checkered flag.

    This was Hamlin’s first win of the 2011 season, although he has had six top-10 finishes to date. His previous win was sixteen races ago when Hamlin was the victor at Texas Motor Speedway in November 2010.

    “We finished,” Hamlin said. “We got it done. It’s a big Father’s Day.”

    Not Surprising:  Since it was Michigan, Jack Roush’s backyard and Ford’s playground, it was not at all surprising that two drivers from that racing stable did well, scoring top five finishes.

    Matt Kenseth, behind the wheel of the No. 17 Crown Royal Ford, driving as hard as his car would go while not wrecking on the final lap, finished in the runner up spot. His RFR teammate Carl Edwards, piloting the No. 99 Aflac ‘Now Hiring’ Ford and winner of the Nationwide race the day before, finished fifth.

    This was Kenseth’s 15th top-10 finish in 24 races at Michigan International Speedway.  This was also Kenseth’s eighth top-10 finish in 2011.

    “We had a really fast car and thought we were going to have a chance to win,” Kenseth said. “I got back to Denny (Hamlin), but I could not get back around him. I tried everything I could, but I just could not figure out how to do it.”

    For Edwards’ part, he just really wanted to win the Cup race, vowing to head all the way to the top of the grandstands just as he had in the Nationwide race, if he did. While he scored fifth instead of first, Edwards did extend his Chase points lead to 20 points over second place.

    Surprising:  Continuing with the Carl Edwards theme, it was most surprising to see the driver, who is usually most professional and an excellent spokesperson for the sport, call NASCAR out after the race.

    “Track position is so important,” Edwards said. “Sadly, down force is such a big factor in these cars and I am really hoping that NASCAR will take the opportunity in 2013 to take down force away so the fans can see the guys race race cars and not race down force. That would be cool.”

    Not Surprising: Neither oil pan troubles nor physical ailments could stop Kyle Busch, driver of the No. 18 Snickers Toyota, from his appointed rounds. After complaining of nausea and pain in the center of his chest, Busch drove forward from his 24th place starting spot to finish third.

    “He just had a little stomach ache,” Dave Rogers, crew chief, said. “We gave him some Tums in a bottle of water and it took care of it.”

    Busch’s crew did have Scott Riggs standing by if needed, but when Busch was leading at the half-way mark of the race, there was no way he was ever going to get out of his car, not matter how poorly he felt.

    “Kyle is pretty dedicated to this race team,” Rogers said. “He’s a pretty tough kid so I didn’t think he would get out.”

    “I didn’t feel that bad,” Busch said. “It felt like I was running a 400 mile marathon running on my feet instead of in a race car.”

    Although Busch has never won at Michigan International Speedway, this was his fourth top-10 finish in 13 races in the Irish hills. Busch’s third place finish mirrored his third place finish the previous week in the Pocono race.

    “It wasn’t going to be a great day but we turned it into a good one,” Busch said. “Overall I’m happy with today; happy with the finish. If you finish third in the last 10 races every single race, you might win this thing, so we’ll take it.”

    Surprising: The primarily poor performance of the Hendrick Motorsports team was fairly surprising. Five-time champion Jimmie Johnson spun on lap 8, bringing out the first caution of the race.

    Johnson, driving the No. 48 Lowe’s/Kobalt Tools Chevrolet, finished 27th and lost the second spot in the Chase standings, falling to the fifth position.

    Johnson’s teammate, four-time champion and winner of last weekend’s race, Jeff Gordon, also did not fare very well in the Irish hills. Gordon, this week driving the No. 24 Drive to End Hunger Chevrolet, started 31st and finished 17th, falling one spot in the points to the 12th and final potential Chase spot.

    What was most surprising, however, were the harsh words HMS driver Dale Earnhardt, Jr. had for his teammate Mark Martin. The driver of the No. 88 Amp Energy/National Guard Chevrolet made perfectly clear that he was not happy with being squeezed into the wall by the driver of the No. 5 GoDaddy.com Chevrolet.

    “He just come on up and drove us into the fence,” Junior said of his teammate Martin. “He ran us flat in the wall.”

    “I think we will get it sorted out,” Martin said in rebuttal. “I made a mistake.”

    Dale Jr. finished 21st, his first finish out of the top-10 this season. Junior was, however, able to hold on to his third place in the points standings.

    Mark Martin actually finished top-10, the best of all of the Hendrick Motorsports cars. He climbed one position in the points to 14th, just 20 points behind his teammate Jeff Gordon in the last Chase position.

    Not Surprising:  The majority of the Richard Childress Racing entries had a very good day at Michigan. Paul Menard, who has been struggling of late, had a terrific run, bringing his No. 27 Pittsburgh Paints/Menards Chevrolet home in the fourth position.

    Clint Bowyer also had a good day in the Irish hills. The No. 33 Cheerios/Hamburger Helper Chevrolet finished in the eighth spot.

    Finally, ‘the Closer’ Kevin Harvick overcame adversity and a brush with the wall to finish 14th in his No. 29 Budweiser Chevrolet. Harvick leapfrogged over Dale Junior to lay claim to the second spot in the point standings.

    Surprising:  One of the best surprises of the day was the terrific run by young Landon Cassill, piloting the No. 51 Security Benefit/Thank a Teacher Today Chevrolet for Phoenix Racing. Cassill finished 12th, the best finish ever in his Cup career, tying the best finish for Phoenix Racing this season.

    “That was a great day all around,” Cassill said. “We lost some track position early but fought back all day. We had a good break at the end.”

    Not Surprising:  With Hall of Fame inductee Bud Moore on his race car in celebration of the US Army’s 236th Birthday, Ryan Newman had an ‘Army Strong’ day, finishing sixth.

    “It was a good finish for us,” Newman said. “We fought back hard.”

    Newman’s teammate and owner Tony Stewart also had a favorable race result. The driver of the No. 14 Office Depot/Mobil 1 Chevrolet finished the Heluva Good! Sour Cream Dips 400 in seventh.

     

  • Landon Cassill Thanks a Teacher, His Lucky Stars at Pocono, and Readies for Michigan Celebration

    [media-credit id=62 align=”alignright” width=”214″][/media-credit]Landon Cassill, driver of the No. 51 Security/Benefit Thank A Teacher Chevrolet for Phoenix Racing, has much for which to be thankful.

    First and foremost, he is thankful that he is competing at the Cup Series level as a driver for an up and coming team, owned by James Finch.

    Cassill, the 2008 Nationwide Series Rookie of the Year and former development driver for Hendrick Motorsports, recognizes that he is most fortunate to be behind the wheel of a race car at NASCAR’s highest level.

    Cassill is also thankful to Bill Elliott, who had been in the Phoenix Racing machine prior to his coming aboard. ‘Awesome Bill for Dawsonville’ was able, as a former champion, to shake down the car to prepare it for Cassill’s tenure behind the wheel.

    In order to be on the track, Cassill is incredibly grateful to his new sponsor, Security Benefit, and their special program ‘Thank A Teacher Today.’

    “It’s great,” Cassill said of his sponsor and their program. “Security Benefit has been on board with us and Phoenix Racing and they’ve got this program ‘Thank A Teacher Today.’

    “It’s kind of new and it’s just starting up but I think it speaks for itself,” Cassill continued. “We really need to thank the teachers out there that have gotten us to where we’re at. I know I have a lot of teachers to thank.”

    Top on the list of teachers for which Cassill is grateful is his science teacher, Mr. O’Connor. Cassill graduated from high school in 2007.

    “Mr. O’Connor, my science teacher from high school was my favorite teacher at Thomas Jefferson High School in Cedar Rapids, Iowa,” Cassill said. “He was a good teacher that was a good friend to me.”

    “He taught me a lot about discipline and things like that,” Cassill continued. “Some of what he taught wasn’t even science but he was just an impactful teacher and I think that’s what makes a lot of them special.”

    Cassill believes that his sponsor and their ‘Thank A Teacher Program’ are a perfect match on and off the track.

    “It’s really neat for me to have the opportunity to carry that banner because I’m so young and I just got out of high school a couple of years ago,” Cassill said. “I can remember my teachers and I can go back to my school.”

    “We’re planning to go back once school is back in session,” Cassill continued. “Even outside of school, I’ve had a lot of teachers that have helped mentor me in what I do.  It’s a really neat sponsor and a really fun deal.”

    Cassill’s sponsor is designing a new website where fans will be able to post on the wall and share their favorite teacher stories. Security Benefit will also be providing opportunities for teachers to come to the track, hang out with the young driver, and be a part of the NASCAR experience.

    “I’ve shared a story about my favorite teachers and it’s a place to go to thank your teacher,” Cassill said of his sponsor’s new website. “And then we’ll entertain teachers at the race track.”

    “It’s just a neat deal,” Cassill continued. “A lot of these sponsors in the sport are pushing products, but this one with Security Benefit is taking the initiative to thank our teachers.”

    In addition to his sponsor gratitude, Cassill is thrilled with his run at Pocono Raceway this past weekend. He not only managed to finish the race on the lead lap, which was one of his major goals, but he even had his No. 51 Thank A Teacher race car out at the front of the field for a few laps.

    “It was a great day for the Thank A Teacher Today team,” Cassill said. “For us to go out and finish on the lead lap, and lead the race along the way, says a whole lot about us.”

    “And yeah, it was cool leading laps in the world’s greatest motorsport so I’m proud of that.”

    Cassill was also grateful for the opportunity to learn more about Pocono, particularly as last year he was only able to start and park there.

    “I learned a lot about the track,” Cassill said. “Seat time is so important and I felt a lot more comfortable by the end of the race. This is just what we needed after a few tough finishes.”

    Although Cassill was thankful for his good run at Pocono, finishing 25th, he paid a bit of a price for his personal accomplishment.

    “I have a nice little blister tomorrow from the shifting,” Cassill said. “There was a lot of shifting going on so it made it interesting. It was fun though.”

    With Pocono in his rear view mirror, Cassill is getting ready to celebrate a major milestone in his young career at this weekend’s race in the Irish Hills of Michigan. Cassill will be marking his one-year anniversary in the Cup Series.

    “I made my first start in the Cup Series with Phoenix Racing last year in the first Michigan race,” Cassill said. “It was a neat opportunity for me at the time because it was my first opportunity in the Cup Series.”

    “And it was kind of a surprise and we didn’t even have the funding to go race,” Cassill continued. “So, we had to qualify for the race. We qualified in and it was just a neat deal for me. It sparked my opportunity to go Cup racing.”

    How will Cassill celebrate his special anniversary at Michigan?

    “I’m just going to be there and race,” Cassill said. “Hopefully we’ll keep this momentum up and capitalize at Michigan.”

    “And hopefully I’ll have a good race and make an even better memory from it.”

  • Cindy Elliott Balances Life As Wife to Bill and Mom to Chase

    Cindy Elliott Balances Life As Wife to Bill and Mom to Chase

    Cindy Elliott is doing what she does best, balancing talking about her life with NASCAR champion husband Bill and up and coming driver son Chase, while getting some exercise by taking a quick walk around the motor home lot.

    “I don’t know that my life is any different than anyone else who has to balance life in general with work and being a mom,” Elliott said. “It’s just a balancing act and something we all do.”

    Elliott does have two primary keys that have helped her be successful in her juggling act as wife, mom, and the Elliott family’s social media director.

    “My tip for balancing is to stay as organized as you possibly can,” Elliott said. “I think organization and time management are key factors.”

    The Elliotts have been married for 18 years and are going into their 19th year of wedded bliss. They met when Cindy Elliott, then a photo editor, had do do a shoot with NASCAR’s past most popular driver ‘Awesome Bill from Dawsonville’.

    “I was a photographer and photo editor for Scene and Illustrated back in the day,” Elliott said. “I had clients, Coca Cola and Budweiser, and Bill went to drive for Budweiser and he had to come to my studio to take pictures and so we met.”

    Chase Elliott is their only child together, however Bill Elliott has two grown daughters. One daughter Brittany, 19 years old is serving the country in the Air Force in New Mexico, and the other daughter Starr lives in Dawsonville and has a young daughter, Kennedy.

    “The grand parenting role is a lot of fun,” Elliott said. “I’m C C. It’s the first thing she called me so I guess that’s what all my grandkids will call me. You know how that happens, the first one gets to name you.”

    Elliott admits that racing was not her passion growing up and she most certainly did not know anything about it until she got more involved through her photo work.

    “I never liked racing,” Elliott said candidly. “Actually Don Grassman, who owns CIA photography, he and I worked together at the Northwest Florida Daily News. He asked me would I come help him.”

    “I knew nothing about racing,” Elliott continued. “In fact, they put me on pit road.  Something happened to Dale Earnhardt that day, his car broke or something, and they’re all screaming ‘Go to Earnhardt’s pit’ and I said, ‘You know guys, I don’t know who Earnhardt is’. What number is he and I’ll get to his pit as soon as I can.”

    “I really did like it after I got into it,” Elliott said.”I thought it was a lot of fun. When I was growing up, I thought we’re just watching a bunch of people go around in circles. But there’s a lot more than just going around in circles.”

    Elliott has definitely had to become fond of the sport with not only her husband but now their son Chase in the racing spotlight. Chase was signed this weekend by Hendrick Motor Sports, a great coup for the young up and coming driver.

    “I really enjoy what Chase is doing,” Elliott said.”Being around the people there, it’s just so down to earth and so fun and so family-oriented.”

    “I absolutely love watching these little kids racing around, watching them grow and develop,” Elliott continued. “Some of them are just really good little racers. Some of the races that we see are really good races too. I enjoy that a lot.”

    Like every mom, however, Cindy Elliott does indeed worry about her young son, knowing the dangers and vagaries of being behind the wheel of a race car.

    “I get worried because you just do,” Elliot said. “It’s just one of those motherly instincts.”

    “I’ve learned to trust in his ability more. He’s not crazy on the race track,” Elliott continued. “He’s very calculated in his moves. I’ve learned to trust his driving style, which really is a lot like Bill’s.”

    According to Cindy Elliott, Chase takes after his father in more ways than just on the track, which is fine with her.

    “His personality takes a lot after Bill’s personality, which I thank God for every day,” Elliott said.  “I’m a little more high strung than both of them. Chase is a good winner but he is also a gracious loser. He takes a lot of that after Bill.”

    One of the most interesting challenges is balancing where husband Bill is in his career and where her son is now in his.

    “Bill has accomplished much but he still has things to accomplish,” Elliott said. “He’s taken a lot of time with Chase and enjoys being there at the race tracks as much as I do.”

    “Bill will focus on what he has to do for whatever period that is. He will give his best effort and 100% to everything he can do for his career and to help Chase.”

    Cindy Elliott’s next balancing act will be managing the attention on her son Chase, with the signing to HMS, and on her husband Bill, who is racing this year for Phoenix Racing, in NASCAR’S premiere series.

    What is keeping her grounded now more than ever is how fortunate she is feeling to be in this special position.

    “We are very blessed,” Elliott said simply.

  • Chase Elliott Steps Forward While Bill Elliott Claims Last Good Chance

    Chase Elliott Steps Forward While Bill Elliott Claims Last Good Chance

    The father and son combination of Bill and Chase Elliott are at a crossroads in both of their careers.  For young Chase Elliott, fresh off his recent win at Speedfest 2011, the sky is the limit as he steps forward in his career.

    [media-credit name=”Brad Keppel” align=”alignright” width=”225″][/media-credit]Yet his father Bill, who will drive for James Finch’s Phoenix Racing in 2011, is most likely taking advantage of the last great ride of his career.

    “This may well be my last really good chance as a driver,” Bill Elliott, age 55, said.  “I’m going to give it my best shot.  I feel like I’m still in good shape, and I thought we ran pretty good last year.”

    Elliott will run the No. 09 car for Phoenix Racing in at least 18 NASCAR Sprint Cup races in the 2011 season. The No. 09 has special meaning to Elliott and his family, the car number having been driven by his late father George Elliott, as well as being his own car number, the 9, in 1975.

    Along with the other NASCAR greats, Elliott will start his season by competing in the 53rd running of the Daytona 500.  The veteran ‘Awesome Bill from Dawsonville’ is no stranger to the Daytona International Speedway.

    Elliott first raced at DIS on July 4th, 1976 in the Firecracker 400.  He finished that race in the 19th position in his No. 10 Ford.

    Elliott will, however, be changing manufacturers for his 2011 Daytona 500 bid.  For the first time in many years in his career, Elliott will be racing in a Chevrolet.

    “It’s big for us and big for Chevrolet to get Bill Elliott,” James Finch, Elliott’s new team owner, said.  “It’s the first time in his career that he’s committed to race a Chevrolet.”

    Finch also expressed confidence that Elliott, who has previously driven primarily Fords and Dodges, would be able to get the job done in a Chevrolet.  He cited Elliott’s  44 Cup wins, 55 poles, as well as his 1988 championship, as reasons for his confidence.

    “With the right equipment, he’s ready,” Finch said of Elliott.  “He was just a couple of hundredths of a second off the pole at Homestead last year.”

    Elliott will be teaming with crew chief Nick Harrison in his new Phoenix Racing ride.  The team plans to get their horsepower from Hendrick Motorsports.

    “I think this will be a really good deal,” Elliott said.  “James has really good race cars, and there’s no doubt about the Hendrick equipment.  After all, look at all the championships they’ve won.”

    While father Bill Elliott looks at starting the 2011 season staking claim to what will probably be the last chance for glory in his career, his son Chase has already gotten his young career off to an amazing start in the New Year.

    Chase Elliott swept the two Late Model features in Speedfest 2011 at Lanier National Speedway in Braselton, Georgia.  Elliott beat many of the nation’s best short track racers, in addition to Cup racer David Ragan.

    Elliott, driving the No. 9 Aaron’s Dream Machine, started third in the first race for the Pro Late Models.  He quickly moved forward and took the lead, which he held until the 100 lap break.

    After the break, the young driver fell back to the third position.  But he was quickly on the move again, battling David Ragan for the lead and the eventual win.

    Elliott then moved on to the Super Late Model race, the main attraction of Speedfest 2011.  In this race, he started eighth, but again moved forward quickly.

    After two green-white-checkered finish attempts, Elliott finally prevailed.  Favoring the outside line, Elliott finally took the checkered flag to win his second race of the day.

    “My team is absolutely the best,” Elliott said.  “I wouldn’t trade Ricky (Turner), my crew chief for anyone out there.  We had some great drivers that I raced with today, and they definitely made me work hard to get here.”

    While Bill Elliott will start his 2011 season by competing in one of the sport’s biggest races, the Daytona 500, his son Chase will next race on March 6th at the South Alabama Speedway.  Young Chase will compete in “The Rattler”, the second event in the 2011 CRA Southern Six Pak Tour.