Some of the older NASCAR fans probably grew up watching the No.9 car driven by Bill Elliott, so when his son Chase entered the racing scene, many would have expected him to bear the same number on his car. That did not happen initially. 

Appearing on the "Bussin' With The Boys" podcast on Thursday, Chase Elliott spoke about how he reclaimed the No.9 car. In 2016, after joining Hendrick Motorsports in the iconic No.24 car (previously driven by Jeff Gordon), Elliott felt it would be improper to request a change, fearing that he was not in a position to ask Rick Hendrick for a switch. 

“Jeff stepped out and retired, and the rest of the team was all the same, including the number. So, first off, what am I going to do if Rick Hendrick walked up to me and said, ‘Hey, I want you to drive the 24 car next year.’ I wasn't going to sit there and tell him, ‘Sorry, sir. I can't do that unless it's the 9.’ That wasn't going to happen.”

Chase then explained on the podcast that it was Dale Earnhardt Jr. who encouraged him to pursue the switch, giving him the push to nudge the question to Rick Hendrick. The timing was also perfect for him, since there was another driver change taking place in Hendrick Motorsports in the 2018 season. 

Rick Hendrick ultimately reached out to Richard Petty, who held the rights to the No.9 car, and Petty graciously let the team use it. 

“So, Rick ended up reaching out to Richard Petty at the time, who owned the 9, and through the different ownership changes throughout the years, it had wound up with Richard," Elliott added. "He said, ‘Look, you can have it. If you want it, you can have it,’ and he gave him the ownership rights to the number. Off we went.

Racing with the No. 9 brought a feeling of home for Chase Elliott, and as fate would have it, he won his first Cup race in that car.

"Long story short, Dale Jr. is the reason for the switch, and I'm thankful for it because it definitely feels like home for me, for a lot of different reasons. The number is special to my family and all the people over the years that have helped my career and my dad's career become what it was and what it is today," Elliott concluded.

How the Elliott father-son relationship evolved over the years

In the same interaction, Chase Elliott also spoke of the dynamic between him and his father, Bill. He highlighted that Bill was a strict father and taught him early on that racing was a serious profession, not just fun and games.

While he also got a few beatings as a child, he revealed that their dynamic shifted eventually, from strictly disciplinary to one built on mutual respect and trust. Chase recalled an incident at Bristol, where his father expressed his disagreement with a move Chase made through subtle comments rather than harsh criticism. 

“I could remember there was a race I was racing for the lead at Bristol and ended up crashing, which messed it up for a few of us there. But he just kind of looked at me on the ride home, and he was like, not a word other than ‘I don't think I would have done that.’ And that was it. It was just ‘I don't think I would have done that.’”

On August 22, Bill Elliott will return to racing. He will participate in the IROC support race during IndyCar's Freedom 250 Grand Prix weekend.

Read more at the RFK Racing Digest!

Written by

Aaradhya Singh

Edited by

Yash Kotak