Chase Elliott has won the 2020 NASCAR Cup Series championship with a first-place finish at Phoenix Raceway.
The Hendrick Motorsports driver led championship contenders Brad Keselowski, Joey Logano and Denny Hamlin across the line at the Season Finale 500.
Elliott only needed to finish ahead of the other Championship 4 drivers to claim the title. His teammate, seven-time champion Jimmie Johnson, finished fifth in his last race as a full-time Cup Series driver.
“I’m at a loss for words, this is unbelievable,” Elliott said following the win.
“We did it, we did it, that’s all I’ve got to tell you.”
Elliott was set to start in pole position, but was moved to the back of the pack after his car failed tech inspection prior to the race. He took the lead for the first time on Lap 120 of the 312 lap race then passed Logano to go ahead with 42 to go and never looked back.
CHASE ELLIOTT SAYS THIS IS THE BEST ADVICE HIS DAD BILL EVER GAVE HIM
Elliott, 24, becomes the third-youngest champion in NASCAR history and only the second to win it the same year he was voted most-popular driver, the first being his father Bill in 1988. The Elliotts are also just the third father-son duo to win the championship after Lee and Richard Petty and Ned and Dale Jarrett.
