Chase Elliott Joins the Likes of Jimmie Johnson and Jeff Gordon in Elite List after NASCAR Title Win

Published 12/27/2020, 5:24 AM EST

Chase Elliott entered his name on various pages of the NASCAR history books with his Cup Series title-clinching victory at the Phoenix Raceway in November. On the way to his maiden title, he broke records and set some new ones himself. In the process, he joined another elite list, consisting of only five other drivers.

Elliott won the All-Star race and the $1 million prize that comes with it at the Bristol Motor Speedway, at the start of the season. He then stepped up towards the end of the season to win the Cup title.

With those wins, Elliott became only the sixth driver to achieve that particular double-feat. It was also only the 11th occasion of a driver winning both titles in the same season.

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Elliott thus joined Jimmie Johnson, Jeff Gordon, Dale Earnhardt, Rusty Wallace, and Darrell Waltrip in the list. That is quite some company to be in, with some of the biggest legends of the sport.

When did the other drivers achieve the double-feat?

Seven-time champion Jimmie Johnson achieved the All-Star Race and Cup title double feat twice. The first time was similar to Elliott when Johnson won his maiden NASCAR Cup Series championship in 2006, which was also the first of five consecutive titles. The second time Johnson did the double was in 2013, his sixth title.

Gordon, a four-time champion, also won the All-Star race with three of his titles. Gordon completed the achievement in 1995, 1997, and 2001.

Another seven-time champion, Dale Earnhardt earned his All-Star Race-Cup doubles in 1987, 1990, and 1993. The other two drivers, Wallace and Waltrip, both entered the list with title wins in 1989 and 1985, respectively.

How Chase Elliott is asserting his dominance in NASCAR

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Elliott, at just 25 years old, is already one of the winning-est drivers on the current grid and has a chance to overtake both Gordon and Earnhardt on this list for most instances of the All-Star Race-Cup title double feat.

The Georgia-native has a big opportunity to further display his dominance in the 2021 season. The modern road-course master will run on as many as seven road courses next season. These are tracks where Chase Elliott has a four-race winning run and just looks so much stronger than his competitors.

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Elliott also showed his ‘champion’s mentality,’ winning two must-win races at Martinsville and Phoenix to clinch the 2020 title. This will certainly hold him in good stead as he aims to defend his title.

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Written by:

Aayush Majumdar is a NASCAR content strategist, a Tennis Writer, and a sports analyst at EssentiallySports. He is well-tenured as a tennis and NASCAR writer, with over 900 articles across both sports. After pursuing a Post Graduate program in Sports Management, Aayush explored various roles in Sports Media, including a Sports Reporting role at a leading English daily.

Chase Elliott Joins the Likes of Jimmie Johnson and Jeff Gordon in Elite List after NASCAR Title Win

When did the other drivers achieve the double-feat?

How Chase Elliott is asserting his dominance in NASCAR

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