How ‘Million Dollar Bill’s’ son Chase Elliott is a hot favorite to win his 2nd NASCAR title this season

Chase Elliott has locked himself into the 2025 NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs following a thrilling victory in his home race at EchoPark Speedway on Saturday, June 28. This opened up the door for a chance to claim a second championship after winning his first in 2020.

Elliott is a 29-year-old Dawsonville native and son of former NASCAR champ Bill Elliott, a.k.a. Million Dollar Bill. The older Elliott earned the nickname after becoming the first driver to win the Winston Million, where he emerged victorious in three of four major races to secure the $1 million prize money.

Coincidentally, the #9 Hendrick Motorsports driver has the chance to repeat history. With a win on Saturday, he guaranteed a second-round spot in the In-Season Challenge, beating Austin Dillon in the opening round. The In-Season Challenge is a five-race, single-elimination tournament offering the overall winner $1 million.

Chase Elliott drives the #9 Chevrolet Camaro for Hendrick Motorsports - Source: Getty

After the inaugural mid-season tournament, drivers will compete in four regular-season races before the playoffs begin. Chase Elliott is bound for the postseason along with many other drivers, including William Byron, Kyle Larson, and Denny Hamlin.

The win may have taken a while, but Elliott has been a consistent frontrunner this year, amassing six top-5s and 10 top-10s. Notably, he hasn't finished outside the top 20 while maintaining his DNF count to zero. He also holds the best average finish of 10.278 (after 18 races), beating the top-seeded William Byron's 12.778 record.

This season reflects a more promising future for Elliott compared to previous years. Two years ago, he was winless due to several factors, including missing multiple races while recovering from a snowboarding accident. The following year, he only got to victory lane once amid a dominant season from HMS teammate Kyle Larson.

If the Chevy pilot could retain the momentum throughout the year, he should remain a favorite to win another championship. For now, he gears up for the second round of the In-Season Challenge on the streets of Chicago on July 6. He is facing John Hunter Nemechek, who beat Josh Berry in the first round.

“It was wild”: Chase Elliott on thrilling win at Atlanta

In an interview with SiriusXM NASCAR Radio, Chase Elliott described the Atlanta summer race as “wild.” He couldn't completely recall his climb to the front after a neck-and-neck battle against drivers such as Tyler Reddick and Alex Bowman.

On the final lap, Elliott put a move on Brad Keselowski to take the lead. With the help of Bowman battling Keselowski, the #9 Hendrick Motorsports driver created a gap enough to secure the victory. Keselowski came home second ahead of Bowman, Reddick, and Erik Jones.

Speaking about the race at the front, Chase Elliott, who snapped a 44-race winless streak at EchoPark Speedway, said:

The 2020 NASCAR Cup Series champion added:

As of this writing, Chase Elliott ranks second in the standings with 594 points, 37 points behind William Byron. He has a five-point advantage over the third-seeded Kyle Larson, with Joe Gibbs Racing drivers Denny Hamlin and Christopher Bell tied with 551 points.

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Edited by Sumeet Kavthale