Carrying the family name on his back, Chase Elliott entered the NASCAR realm with the weight of heavy expectations. Having to follow in the footsteps of the legendary Bill Elliott, Chase (Elliott) desired little when he was a newbie, but the iconic No. 9 on his door remained a priority.

In came Dale Earnhardt Jr., who played a pivotal role in helping Elliott secure a piece of family legacy, with the retired driver recently shining a light on how it all happened.

What Role Did Dale Earnhardt Jr. Play To Help Chase Elliott?

A Cup Series champion in 1988, Bill Elliott stands as one of NASCAR’s most prolific drivers from the bygone era. His son, Chase Elliott, is following in his footsteps. Having already won a Cup Series championship, the driver has shown all the makings of a driver capable of winning more.

While the dream of becoming a champion continues, Elliott’s ultimate desire was to do it in the No. 9 car. When he first joined the grid, he was given the No. 24 HMS car, which Jeff Gordon had just vacated.

Amid an internal shake-up, Elliott’s heart was set on somehow acquiring the No. 9 for himself, but he didn’t know how. Earnhardt, who perfectly understood the importance of family lineage in NASCAR and took it upon himself to help Elliott.

Speaking on the “Ask Jr.” section of the “Dale Jr. Download” podcast, the retired driver revealed his side of the story in helping Elliott get the No. 9 car.

At the time, Elliott was in his second year of Cup Series competition and quickly building equity around his association with the No. 24. Earnhardt went and spoke to him about potentially getting him the No. 9, to which Elliott replied that he would love to have it, but he was fine with the way things were.

 

However, Earnhardt still spoke to Rick Hendrick about the shake-up and pitched him a genius idea.

He said, “I got an idea and I think it’d be a pretty big deal. I was like, an Elliott in the No. 9 is a big win for everybody.”

At the time, William Byron was about to debut in the Cup Series, and the stars aligned perfectly for Elliott. With Hendrick immediately agreeing with Earnhardt’s idea, Elliott was shifted to the No. 9 HMS entry, and Byron took the No. 24 car.

Thanks to Earnhardt’s intervention, Elliott raced to his first Cup Series Championship in 2020 with the No. 9 car, as he became the second-youngest Cup Series champion in NASCAR history.