Chase Elliott gets a contract extension ahead of Daytona 500

Hours before the green flag waves at the Daytona 500 on Sunday, Chase Elliott picked up the first victory of the day.

Elliott, the NASCAR Cup champion in 2020, signed a five-year contract extension with Hendrick Motorsports, the team announced, which will keep him with the team through the 2027 season.

Elliott is a native of Dawsonville, Ga., and at age 26 has already won 13 races at the Cup level in his No. 9 Chevrolet and was the 2016 rookie of the year. He’s a four-time Most Popular Driver, as voted by fans.

Hendrick Motorsports, owned by Rick Hendrick, has Cup Series roster that also includes Alex Bowman, William Byron and Kyle Larson, who won last season’s NASCAR Cup.

Hendrick has repeatedly said that he likes the current driver lineup at his team. He said last week that news would be coming “pretty soon” regarding contract news for Elliott and Byron, whose current deals run through the end of this season.

“I like just the chemistry between the four drivers,” Hendrick said after last year’s championship. “That’s important — that they get along. Of course, they want to beat each other, but I’ve got a lot invested in William. I’ve got a lot invested in Chase, Alex and Kyle. I hope we can keep the band together because we’ve got such a good core working together.”

Larson, 29, signed a contract extension last year to keep him with the organization through 2023, and said that he wanted to remain with the team as long as he “want(s) to race Cup cars.” Bowman, 28, is also signed with HMS through 2023.

The latest contract will keep Elliott locked in with the organization for longer than his teammates for the time being.

“I feel so fortunate to be in this position,” Elliott said in a statement released by the team. “I have a great team with leadership from (crew chief) Alan (Gustafson) and the support of the best car owner and racing organization in the world.”

“For me, there’s a lot of pride in driving for Hendrick Motorsports and having the opportunity to win races and compete for championships,” Elliott’s statement continued. “We are capable of accomplishing a lot more and it starts today.”

This story was originally published February 20, 2022 at 11:22 AM.