Elliott Crowned GAS Champion; Looking Forward to North-South Shootout
DAWSONVILLE, Ga. (November 4, 2009) – Thirteen-year-old Chase Elliott hasn’t slowed down since climbing behind the wheel of the No. 9 Aaron’s Dream Machine Ford Late Model, posting wins in several of the country’s top Late Model series and impressing fans and fellow drivers alike. Today, Elliott can add to his stout list of accomplishments the 2009 Georgia Asphalt Series Championship and Rookie of the Year honors. With two wins and nine top-10’s in nine series starts, Elliott finished a mere five points ahead of Bill Elliott Racing teammate Casey Roderick to earn his first Late Model title.
The announcement by GAS series officials follows the disappointing cancellation of the All-American Weekend by management at Fairgrounds Speedway at Nashville (Tenn.), which included the final race of the 2009 GAS season.
“I’m a little disappointed not to race for the championship in the final race,” said Elliott, “because I was looking forward to the race and felt like we had a good set up to go back to Nashville with. But we had a good competitive season and I am thrilled to end up with the championship title. This was my rookie season and to do this well was more than I ever expected, so to also win the Rookie of the Year is awesome!
“I can’t thank Aaron’s enough for all of their support this season. I wouldn’t be out here doing what I love to do without them onboard. And thanks to my mom and dad, Ricky Turner, Jim Barfield and all of the guys on the team and all of our product sponsors. This has been an awesome season, and I’m looking forward to wrapping up the year with good runs at the North-South Shootout, World Crown and Snowball Derby.”
Elliott, who has been off the track since his impressive eighth place finish in the October 18th CRA Super Series Winchester 400, looks to carry his momentum to this weekend’s North-South Shootout at Concord (N.C.) Speedway. Elliott will make his seventh Super Late Model start and fourth start in the CRA Super Series. Saturday’s 125-lap race will be Elliott’s first at the half-mile tri-oval track.
Fans that can’t make it to Concord Speedway this weekend have several opportunities to catch the action from home and from Texas Motor Speedway. Speed51.com and RaceTalkRadio.com have teamed up to provide live internet radio coverage of the prestigious event. The broadcast is scheduled to begin on Saturday at approximately 2:00 p.m. on RaceTalkRadio.com. Fans at Texas Motor Speedway’s NASCAR event can also tune into frequency 454.5000 to catch the live broadcast.
Speed51.com will also provide updates throughout the weekend via their Trackside Now coverage.
North-South Shootout officials also announced that Fox Sports South will televise the event on Saturday, November 28, at 12:00 p.m.
For more information about the North-South Shootout, including a schedule of events and ticket information, please visit www.NorthSouthShootout.com.
For the most up-to-date Chase Elliott news, including his racing schedule and weekly podcast, please visit www.ChaseElliott.com.
Be sure to vote for Chase Elliott in the 2009 Late Model Most Popular Driver Award presented by Aluminum Racing Products. You can vote daily now through December 6th by following the link at www.ChaseElliott.com.
About Aaron’s: Aaron's Sales & Lease Ownership stores offer customers access to high-quality furniture, appliances, electronics and computers for sale or as a lease-ownership arrangement. Customers have the option of buying their merchandise for an attractive cash price or opting to lease their merchandise for even greater flexibility. With a lease option, customers make modest monthly payments and have the immediate use of the items they need without waiting for credit checks or other delays. Plus, Aaron's will take care of delivery, setup, repairs, and more for the duration of a customer's lease.
The Aaron's concept has proven to be successful for half a century; in fact, the very first Aaron's location opened in Atlanta, Georgia, in 1955. Aaron's is a leader in the sale and lease ownership of residential furniture, consumer electronics and home appliances, with more than 1,500 Company-operated and franchised stores in 48 states and Canada. The Company also manufactures an exclusive line of furniture, bedding and accessories at 10 facilities in four states.
For more information, please visit shopaarons.com.
About Bill Elliott Racing: In 2008, NASCAR legend Bill Elliott launched a Driver Development program as an extension of Bill Elliott Racing. Based on the principles of teamwork, strong work ethic and positive attitudes, the program aims to guide young drivers through the highs and lows of life in auto racing and to make them leaders on and off the track.
Drivers will climb through the ranks of asphalt racing, starting in the Legends Racing Series and move up to Pro Late Model stock cars – including the Georgia Asphalt Series (GAS) and ASA Racing – and onto Super Late Models in series such as the Champion Racing Association (CRA) Super Series. From there they will progress to the ARCA RE/MAX and other series that are age and talent specific. To encourage strong communication and clear feedback, drivers will also intermittently run dirt Late Models that reinforce car control and a thorough understanding of the feel of the car.
Please visit www.BillElliott.com for more information on the Bill Elliott Racing team and sponsors.
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CHASE ELLIOTT
No. 9 Aaron’s Lucky Dog Dream Machine
Pro & Super Late Model
Bill Elliott Racing
2009 RACE-BY-RACE RESULTS
Date Venue Series Qual St art Finish
3/28 South Georgia Motorsports Park ASA/LMSS 7 7 6
4/4 Watermelon Capital Speedway GAS 4 4 7
4/11 Lanier National Speedway ASA/SAT 16 16 6
4/17 Anderson Motor Speedway GAS 4 2 3
4/18 Montgomery Motor Speedway SPLMS 4 4 2
4/25 Dillon Motor Speedway ASA/SAT 6 5 9
5/9 Lanier National Speedway GAS, SUPER 6 2 2 1
5/30 Lanier National Speedway GAS, SUPER 6 2 4 6
6/6 Watermelon Capital Speedway ASA/SAT 23 23 22 (DNF, wreck)
6/13 South Alabama Speedway Viper Series 5 2 3
6/27 Lanier National Speedway ASA/SAT 5 5 6
7/3 Lanier National Speedway GAS, SUPER 6 6 6 7
7/11 Orange County Speedway ASA/SAT 5 4 Rain Out
7/18 Watermelon Capital Speedway GAS 1 6 1
7/25 Montgomery Motor Speedway ASA/SAT 6 3 13 (DNF, wreck)
8/1 Lanier National Speedway GAS, SUPER 6 4 1 3
8/7 Five Flags Speedway Blizzard Series 12 12 18 *
8/8 Anderson Motor Speedway ASA/SAT 2 8 1
8/15 Lanier National Speedway GAS, SUPER 6 5 5 2
8/23 Nashville Fairgrounds Speedway CRA 14 13 8 *
8/29 Hickory Motor Speedway PASS 2 4 1 *
9/5 Lanier National Speedway GAS, SUPER 6 5 5 2
9/7 Winchester Speedway CRA 12 12 15 *
9/12 Lanier National Speedway GAS/ASA/SAT 1 4 3 **
9/25 Five Flags Speedway Blizzard Series 3 3 21 * (DNF, engine)
10/9 Five Flags Speedway Night of Champions 3 3 3
10/10 Montgomery Motor Speedway Show me the Money III 2 2 6
10/18 Winchester Speedway CRA 6 6 8 *
11/5-7 Concord Speedway CRA / N-S Shootout
11/13-15 Gresham Motorsports Park World Crown
12/2-6 Five Flags Speedway Snowball Derby
ASA/LMSS = ASA Late Model Series South
GAS = Georgia Asphalt Series
ASA/SAT = ASA Southeast Asphalt Tour
SPLMS = Southern Pro Late Model Series
SUPER 6 = Lanier National Speedway Super Six Series
CRA = CRA Super Series
PASS = Pro All Stars Series South
* Super Late Model start
** Non-points event
SCHEDULE IS TENTATIVE AND SUBJECT TO CHANGE.
