Chase Elliott has the chance to cement his name into NASCAR’s record books this weekend.
At the conclusion of Saturday’s NASCAR Nationwide Series DAV 200 at Phoenix International Raceway (4 p.m. ET on ESPN), Elliott can become the first rookie and youngest driver – 18 years, 11 months and 18 days – to win a NASCAR national series championship.
All he has to do is maintain his 48-point lead atop the NNS standings over his JR Motorsports teammate Regan Smith. If Elliott leaves Phoenix with a 48-point advantage over second, he’ll clinch the 2014 NASCAR Nationwide Series championship.
“It would be phenomenal,” Elliott said when asked about potentially winning the championship at Phoenix. “It would mean the world to me, and not just me, but our team, our sponsors, NAPA and everybody that makes it happen. We’re going to give it our best shot to do so and we’d still like to have another win or two before the year is out.”
The 18-year-old rides a streak of 12 top-10 finishes, including seven top fives to the Avondale, Arizona track. He finished ninth in his second career start at the rain-shortened March Phoenix race and is fresh off a fourth-place showing at Texas.
“This is the type of performance and momentum you want late in any season,” Elliott said. “I am very excited about getting back out to Phoenix. In the spring we had a decent run, but due to the rain-out we never were able to get a full analysis of the weekend. I love short-track racing, which is what Phoenix is all about, but I certainly have a lot to learn about Phoenix and how to get around there.”
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