The fans have spoken, and they’ve chosen Chase Elliott. As a result of winning the Monster Energy Fan Vote, he is headed to the prestigious Monster Energy All-Star Race field Saturday night at Charlotte Motor Speedway.
The Monster Energy All-Star Race awards $1 million to the winner. The annual rite of spring boasts an impressive history and plenty of elite drivers. Elliott, driver of the No. 24 for Hendrick Motorsports, is a previous winner of the Fan Vote as well, earning the honor in 2016.
“It’s awesome to hear that crowd just then,” Elliott said, referencing the cheering fans. “That means a lot to me. I appreciate you guys voting for me. That is really cool for our team. Obviously, we would have loved to have raced our way in. I feel like every time we run this race we’ve got some sort of drama with this year and last year, but have had a shot at it tonight. We will try to move forward and give ourselves the best chance we can.”
Sixteen drivers had qualified for the event heading into Saturday evening’s Monster Energy Open by virtue of either winning a points-paying race in 2016 or thus far in 2017, having won a previous All-Star Race or being a former series champion.
Three drivers qualified from the Monster Energy Open’s three stages: Clint Bowyer, Ryan Blaney and Daniel Suarez. Elliott joined them as the final transfer to lock the All-Star field in at 20 drivers.
The top five vote-getters this year, in alphabetical order, were: Ryan Blaney, Clint Bowyer, Matt DiBenedetto, Chase Elliott and Danica Patrick.