Chase Elliott hopes to turn things around after winless NASCAR season

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — 

The Elliott name in NASCAR is not just royalty but even better than that, it’s beloved by the people who buy the tickets, the merchandise and watch every week until the checkered flag drops.

William Clyde Elliott Sr., known more as “Awesome Bill from Dawsonville” and William Clyde Elliott II, known as Chase, have won the most popular driver award, voted on by fans, 22 times. Bill did it 16 times in his 37-year career and could have won it more except that he asked his name be taken off the ballot in 2002.

Chase is on a six-year winning streak despite not even winning a race last year.

“I think a lot of it was my foundation and the path my family took to the success they’ve had,” Chase Elliott said, trying to explain his family’s popularity. “People in the late ‘80s and the ‘90s could really connect with us because we were a small-town family. There were three brothers and a dad who just loved cars and had an extreme work ethic. And they wanted to be part of a sport that seemingly wanted to be much bigger than they were at the time and they were willing to outwork whomever.