DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — Hendrick Motorsports announced Sunday that the organization has signed Chase Elliott to a five-year contract extension.
The deal will keep the 26-year-old driver of the No. 9 Chevrolet with the team through the 2027 season. Hendrick officials indicated that the agreement was finalized and signed Saturday afternoon at Daytona International Speedway, on the eve of Sunday’s season-opening Daytona 500 (2:30 p.m. ET, FOX, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).
“I feel so fortunate to be in this position,” Elliott said in a team release. “I have a great team with leadership from Alan (Gustafson, crew chief) 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. We are capable of accomplishing a lot more and it starts today.”
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Team owner Rick Hendrick first signed Elliott to a developmental contract in February 2011 as a 15-year-old prospect. Elliott reached the NASCAR Cup Series full time in 2016, winning Sunoco Rookie of the Year honors. He won the Cup Series championship in 2020.
Elliott has 13 wins in NASCAR’s top division, and he has made the Cup Series Playoffs in each of his six seasons at the sport’s highest level. He also scored the NASCAR Xfinity Series title with JR Motorsports in 2014.
Elliott is the son of NASCAR Hall of Famer Bill Elliott. He has won the Cup Series’ Most Popular Driver Award in each of the last four seasons.
“Chase is a champion on and off the track,” Hendrick said. “His talent inside the race car is undeniable, and he’s just scratching the surface of what he can do. This is a young man who is mature beyond his years, comes from an incredible family, and is humble, hard-working and never takes anything for granted. As long as Chase is driving, we want him right here with Hendrick Motorsports. This is an exciting way to start the season, and we look forward to many, many more together.”
Hendrick had indicated during a Thursday media availability that new contracts were coming soon for Elliott and also William Byron, who drives the team’s No. 24 Chevrolet. “Probably any time pretty soon,” Hendrick said then. “I want those guys to be with us forever, and they’ve told me they want to be here, so I’d say you should hear something on that pretty soon.”
Byron signed a two-year contract extension in September 2020 that is set to end after this season. Hendrick Motorsports’ other two drivers are signed through the 2023 season — defending Cup Series champion Kyle Larson added one year to his deal in July 2021; Alex Bowman signed a two-year extension in June 2021.
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