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Chase Elliott 2018 season recap
By Jessica Ruffin | Published: December 19, 2018 13
Streeter Lecka | Getty Images
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Sean Gardner | Getty Images
The 2018 season marked Chase Elliott's third full-time season in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series -- and for the No. 9 Hendrick Motorsports driver, the third time was indeed the charm. Elliott broke through for his first Monster Energy Series win, following it up with two more. See highlights from his memorable year.
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Jared C. Tilton | Getty Images
The 2018 season began with a new car number for Elliott, as he transitioned from the No. 24 to the No. 9, a number driven by his father and Hall of Fame driver Bill Elliott. The younger Elliott also drove the No. 9 in the Xfinity Series, when he won a championship in 2014.
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Jared C. Tilton | Getty Images
Elliott kicked off the 2018 season on the track strong by winning the second Can-Am Duel at Daytona International Speedway on Feb. 15, taking the lead from Denny Hamlin at Lap 26. The win marked his second straight Duel victory.
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Streeter Lecka | Getty Images
After coming up short of winning a stage in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series All-Star Open qualifying race, Elliott earned a spot in the main event through the fan vote. The 23-year-old driver, who would finish fifth in the Monster Energy All-Star Race, has won the All-Star race fan vote for three straight years.
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Jared C. Tilton | Getty Images
Following his run in the JR Motorsports' No. 88 Chevrolet at Daytona, Elliott signed with GMS Racing to pilot the No. 23 Chevrolet in select events. He ran seven events -- including the throwback weekend at Darlington (pictured) -- with the team, notching a season-best second-place finish at Pocono.
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Elliott earned his only Busch Pole Award of the season at Daytona International Speedway, wheeling the No. 9 Chevrolet at 194.045 mph to notch the top starting spot for the July 7 event. Hendrick Motorsports teammate Alex Bowman qualified alongside him.
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After 98 winless races, Elliott finally broke through for his first Monster Energy Series win on Aug. 5 at Watkins Glen International, holding off 2017 champion Martin Truex Jr. for the victory in the waning laps. Elliott paced the field for a race-high 52 laps to notch the victory.
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Chris Trotman | Getty Images
After crossing the start-finish line to win at Watkins Glen, Elliott's No. 9 ran out of fuel on the cool-down lap. This led to a memorable moment with teammate Jimmie Johnson pushing him to the frontstretch where he celebrated the victory.
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Elliott's victory at Watkins Glen punched his ticket to the 2018 Playoffs, marking the third straight season he's run for a championship. His Hendrick Motorsports teammates Alex Bowman and Jimmie Johnson also advanced. Elliott was eliminated at Phoenix, just before the season finale at Homestead-Miami Speedway.
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Friends off the track, Elliott and fellow Monster Energy Series driver Ryan Blaney created a photo-worthy moment by going nose-to-nose in their burnouts at the Las Vegas strip during Burnout Blvd. on Sept. 13.
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Chris Trotman | Getty Images
Make that two wins for Chase; Elliott notched his second career Monster Energy Series win at Dover International Speedway on Oct. 7, snatching the lead by staying out late and hanging on during an overtime restart to lead the final 11 laps for the victory. The win also solidified Elliott's spot in the next round of the NASCAR Playoffs.
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Chris Graythen | Getty Images
Two weeks after winning at Dover, Elliott was back in Victory Lane at Kansas Speedway, leading the final 44 laps to beat Kyle Busch for the victory. Elliott won two of the three races in the Round of 12.
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Chris Graythen | Getty Images
Elliott carried on the Elliott and Earnhardt tradition by winning the NMPA's Most Popular Driver at the end of the 2018 season in Las Vegas. Elliott's father, Bill Elliott, won the award for 16 years, while Dale Earnhardt Jr. -- Elliott's former teammate and most recent recipient of the award -- won it 15 times.