Chase Elliott’s win of the inaugural EchoPark Texas Grand Prix at Circuit of The Americas (COTA) in his No. 9 Llumar Camaro ZL1 1LE scored the 800th all-time victory for Chevrolet in NASCAR Cup Series (NCS) competition. This unprecedented win secured a significant milestone for Chevrolet as the most successful manufacturer in NASCAR history.
In addition to reaching this 800th triumph for the brand, Elliott brought the Camaro ZL1 1LE to Victory Lane for the 14th time since becoming Chevrolet’s flagship NCS race vehicle in 2020, and the fifth time in the 2021 NCS season.
“I couldn’t be more excited,” said Elliott. “I’ve never won a rain race before, so it’s kind of cool. And I’m just super proud of our team for just continuing to fight. We started the day, and we weren’t very good. I just kept pushing myself and we kept making some good changes throughout the day and got to where I thought we were on pace with those guys there at the end. So, I’m really proud of that. It’s not the greatest thing ever, for it to rain and to have a rain race win, if it’s your first one; but I think it’s okay if it’s down the road, so I’m pretty excited about that. I’m looking forward to next week and trying to keep it rolling.”
Due to inclement weather, the EchoPark Texas Grand Prix was called with 14 laps to go. Elliott’s triumph marks the first appearance for the NCS in its debut at COTA, a 3.4-mile, 20-turn, counterclockwise track circuit track with multiple elevation changes that that flow with the hilly landscape.
This win was Elliott’s 12th NCS career victory, his sixth road course win, and first of the 2021 NCS season. It also celebrated the 268th victory for Rick Hendrick and Hendrick Motorsports.
“So proud of Chase Elliott and his No. 9 Camaro team for persevering all race long and handling such challenging conditions to deliver a big win at the first race at Circuit of the Americas,” said Jim Campbell, vice president of Performance and Motorsports. “Chase’s first win of the season is extra special as it was Hendrick Motorsports 268th Cup win and Chevrolet’s 800th Cup win.” “I’d also like to thank all of the Chevrolet engineers, and all of the drivers, crew chiefs, teams and owners who have contributed to those 800 wins over the past 66 years.”
Chevrolet’s rich heritage in NASCAR competition began when Fonty Flock took the checkered flag on March 26,1955 at Columbia Raceway in Columbia, South Carolina in his ‘55 Chevy. Sixty-six years later, the ‘Bowtie Brand’ continues to set the mark.
Chevrolet’s accolades in NASCAR racing are vast. To date, the manufacturer has earned 32 Driver titles and 39 Manufacturer titles en route to its 800 victories. No manufacturer has carried more drivers and teams to championships in NASCAR’s premier division than Chevrolet.
MILESTONE VICTORIES LIST:1st WIN: 3/26/55 – Fonty Flock, Columbia, SC100th WIN: 7/07/62 – Rex White – Columbia, SC200th WIN: 6/11/78 – Benny Parsons – Riverside, CA300th WIN: 4/20/86 – Dale Earnhardt, Sr. – North Wilkesboro, NC400th WIN: 9/10/94 – Terry Labonte – Richmond, VA500th WIN: 8/12/01 – Jeff Gordon – Watkins Glen, NY600th WIN: 3/25/07 – Kyle Busch – Bristol, TN700th WIN: 11/4/12 – Jimmie Johnson – Ft. Worth, TX800th WIN: 5/23/21 – Chase Elliott – Austin, TX
DURATION BETWEEN MILESTONE WINS:1st to 100th: 2660 days = 7 years, 3 months, 11 days100th to 200th: 5818 days = 15 years, 11 months, 4 days200th to 300th: 2870 days = 7 years, 10 months, 9 days300th to 400th: 3065 days = 8 years, 4 months, 21 days400th to 500h: 2528 days = 6 years, 11 months, 2 days500th to 600th: 2051 days = 5 years, 7 months, 13 days600th to 700th: 2051 days = 5 years, 7 months, 10 days700th to 800th: 3122 days = 8 years, 6 months, 19 days
WINS BY NAMEPLATE:Bel Air or Biscayne = 55Chevelle/Chevelle Laguna/Laguna S-3 = 36Lumina = 61Monte Carlo/Monte Carlo SS = 396Impala/Impala SS = 152Chevrolet SS = 73Camaro/Camaro ZL1/Camaro ZL1 1LE = 27
