Chase Elliott made the NASCAR world see him as a serious title contender with his performances as the season progressed. At the same time, there were still doubts about whether Elliott could beat the best in the championship race, as he never made the final four before this season.

However, his father and former NASCAR Cup Series champion Bill Elliott knew for quite a while that his son could not just win races, but win a title sooner than later. Bill revealed when he first believed Chase could win a title.

It was back when Chase won his maiden NASCAR Cup Series race, beating Martin Truex Jr. in a tense finish.

“When he beat Truex at Watkins Glen that first year, three years ago, I thought he can do it. He can do this,” Bill Elliott revealed in a recent interview.

How Bill Elliott’s confidence in Chase Elliott grew over time

In that race, Chase made a mistake on the final lap that could have cost him the race. However, the way he got back up and kept his composure is what convinced his father of his abilities.

Elliott Sr. also said that Chase never let his weaker tracks dent his confidence. Like any other driver, Chase has some tracks where he does not perform as well as others. But he found a way to overcome them. The best example was his win at Martinsville in a do-or-die race in the playoffs this year.

“He’s like okay I got this. I got it together, I’ll figure out what I need. And then Alan (Gustafson) got together with him and gave him what he needs or what he wants,” Elliott revealed.

He went on to say that one of Chase’s strengths is always knowing what it takes to win. Bill spoke about another such incident which added to his confidence in Chase.

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“I never said another word”

Bill accompanied Chase at one of the races in Winchester in Chase’s early days as a racer. While Bill was trying to figure out what the other drivers were doing and the lines they were running, Chase was ready to go beat them. That is when Bill knew that Chase was aware of what he needed to do.

“Chase goes out and runs faster than all of those guys in his own line. I never said another word. I then felt like the best thing I could do is be supportive. All I do is after a race, I just suggest things, like I might have looked at this a little different,” Bill added.

He disagreed with Chase’s tactics a bit after his incident with Joey Logano at Bristol earlier this year. But Chase’s reply stunned Bill again. “I said, ‘man, I don’t know if I would have done that’. He said, ‘Well, it’s either win or not’. After he said that, I couldn’t say another word,” Bill expressed.

Chase is now on the verge of becoming the driver to win the Cup Series and the Most Popular Driver in the same year since his father did it in 1988.

READ MORE – Rick Hendrick Reveals When He First Spotted Cup Series Champion Chase Elliott