At age 13, Makes History as Series' Youngest Winner

DAWSONVILLE, Ga. (August 31, 2009) - Thirteen-year-old Chase Elliott made his Pro All Stars Series (PASS) debut Saturday at North Carolina's Historic Hickory Motor Speedway and earned his place in the record books when he became the youngest winner in the history of the series.  After qualifying second and starting fourth, the Dawsonville, Ga., native made a late-race drive that included a last-lap pass as Elliott and Jeff Choquette battled to the checkered flag, with Elliott and the No. 9 Aaron's Dream Machine taking the checkered flag and the win at the "Birthplace of NASCAR Stars."

Elliott and Choquette were originally scheduled to run the ASA Southeast Asphalt Tour race at Watermelon Capital Speedway (Cordele, Ga.).  They were both late entries into the PASS South "Over the Mountain 150."  The Bill Elliott Racing team brought their Pro Late Model car, which is allowed in PASS rules, and made the necessary adjustments to run in the Super Late Model series.

"I didn't think I was going to catch him (Choquette) there at the end," Elliott said after the exciting finish.  "I didn't mean to get into him, but I was racing for the win.  I've raced with Jeff (Choquette) a lot, and he's a good, clean driver - I knew we could race hard and not worry about being taken out.  And I tell you, I was nervous out there - more nervous than I've ever been. 

"But it's just an awesome win, and I can't thank Ricky (Turner, crew chief), Darron (Turner), Greg (Turner), Jim (Barfield) and the guys back at the shop enough for their hard work.  They've been giving me awesome cars all season, and I am so proud of the team.  We started out this season just looking to gain some experience and get me some seat time; it's awesome that we've been able to accomplish what we have.  I want to thank my mom and dad who are both here tonight, and especially Aaron's and all of our product sponsors for giving me this opportunity."

After getting a feel for the track during the first two practice rounds, Elliott placed second on the board in the third and final practice Saturday afternoon.  During qualifying, Elliott paced the 0.363-mile oval in 14.935-seconds, placing him second of the 33 entries attempting to make the 28-car field, only two-tenths off the pole lap of John Stancill. 

After the random draw for inversion, Elliott lined the No. 9 Aaron's Dream Machine up on the outside of the second row to take the green flag in fourth place.  Elliott, who has developed his racing style to conserve tires and be strong in the closing laps, settled into seventh place following the first caution on lap seven as he found his rhythm early in the race.

On lap 26, Elliott reclaimed the sixth position and then moved into the top-five on lap 35.  Continuing under a green flag, Elliott picked up the fourth position from Justin Wakefield on lap 43. 

After surviving two quick cautions on laps 46 and 51, Elliott moved the Aaron's Dream Machine into third.  On the next restart on lap 66, Elliott slipped to fourth but quickly regained the position on the next yellow on lap 69 when the No. 47 of Corey Williams pitted, moving Elliott back into the top-three.

Elliott fell into fourth on the restart and 20 laps later, he passed the No. 4N of Ben Rowe to claim third place again.  Following two quick cautions on laps 92 and 94, the field stayed green while Elliott set his sights on the leaders. 

After laps of side-by-side racing with Cassius Clark's No. 8 machine, Elliott passed Clark to move into second on lap 145 of 150 - and started tracking down leader Choquette.

Elliott caught the back bumper of Choquette, setting him up for a last lap pass.  After taking the white flag, Elliott stuck the nose of the No. 9 Aaron's Dream Machine under Choquette's No. 33 in turns three and four as the two raced to the checkers with Elliott claiming his first win in his first PASS start and first start at the historic Hickory Motor Speedway.

The win also made Elliott, age 13, the youngest winner in the history of the PASS Series.  He also holds the same honor in the ASA Southeast Asphalt Tour, the series he was scheduled to race Saturday night.

Elliott and the No. 9 Aaron's Dream Machine team return to their home track, Lanier National Speedway (Braselton, Ga.), for the Georgia Asphalt Series 100-lap race.  Elliott currently leads the GAS and Super 6 championships standings as the series prepares for their final race at the 3/8-mile oval and a chance to walk away with the Super 6 Championship after their season comes to a close Saturday night.