NASCAR Cup Series

Chasing history: Elliott poised for championship weekend in Phoenix

Published Nov. 7, 2014 3:30 p.m. ET

foxsports

NASCAR Nationwide Series rookie Chase Elliott has been turning heads all season long as he continues to impress week in and week out. His calm, cool demeanor has surprised many and garnered respect from most of his fellow competitors.

This weekend, the 18-year-old driver has the opportunity to make NASCAR history in a big way.

Elliott enters this weekend's race at Phoenix International Raceway with a 48-point advantage over his JR Motorsports teammate Regan Smith. If the driver of the No. 9 Chevrolet can end Saturday's race with that same point lead or greater, he will be crowned the 2014 NASCAR Nationwide Series champion one week before the official end of the season.

While that accomplishment is impressive on its own, by doing so Elliott will put his name in the NASCAR record books under a host of categories.

If he can secure the title, Elliott will become the youngest champion in the history of NASCAR's top three touring series at 18 years, 11 months and 18 days, besting the mark set by Brian Vickers when he won the Nationwide Series title in 2003 at 20 years and two days.

That feat is especially impressive when considering the fact Jack Ingram won the first Nationwide Series title in 1982 at the age of 45, while Dale Earnhardt Jr., Ricky Stenhouse Jr. and Austin Dillon each won their first Nationwide Series championships at the age of 23.

Not quite to his 19th birthday, the second-generation driver would also become the third NASCAR champion from the state of Georgia, joining the likes of his Hall of Fame father and Hall of Fame member Tim Flock.

Elliott did not back into this championship run, either. In his first season in the Nationwide Series, the driver of the No. 9 Chevrolet has scored three wins, 15 top fives and 25 top 10s, scoring an average finish of 7.8.

Yet despite his impressive season to date, Elliott has remained focused and humble at every turn. With the possibility of his first NASCAR championship within grasp, he remains focused on the job at hand, Saturday's 200-lap race in Phoenix.

"We had a very solid run last weekend at Texas collectively as a team. This is the type of performance and momentum you want late in any season," he said. "I am very excited about getting back out to Phoenix. In the spring we had a decent run, but due to the rain-out we never were able to get a full analysis of the weekend. I love short-track racing, which is what Phoenix is all about, but I certainly have a lot to learn about Phoenix and how to get around there."

If he can score the title, he will also provide the first championship for Dale Earnhardt Jr.'s JR Motorsports. Despite their success over the years, none of the team's full-time drivers have ever been able to secure the biggest prize of all.

However, the deal to put Chase Elliott in a JR Motorsports car came together late in the 2013-2014 offseason. Chase's father Bill said he thought at the end of the 2013 season that Turner Motorsports was the best place for his son to land, but a deal came together at the last minute with JR Motorsports.

After the veteran tested a JR Motorsports car in Daytona, he knew Chase would have a great year with a great group.

"I just felt really good about the year," the 1988 Sprint Cup Series champion said at Charlotte Motor Speedway in Oct. "I just felt like everything was coming together really well and do exceptional things, and they really have."

If he does secure the Nationwide Series title either this weekend or next, Chase will join his father Bill as NASCAR champions, becoming just the fourth father-son combination to accomplish the feat. The other three father-son champions include Lee and Richard Petty, Ned and Dale Jarrett, and Dale and Dale Earnhardt Jr.

As if those stats aren't impressive enough, Elliott could also be the first driver to win a NASCAR championship and the Sunoco Rookie of the Year award all in the same year.

There is plenty of racing left in the 2014 season, and anything can still happen in the next two races, but if things continue on the path they have been going down over the entire season, Chase Elliott could be solidifying his name in NASCAR history after 200 miles Saturday in Phoenix.