Chase Elliott, son of Dawsonville and pride of Georgia, snapped a painful 44-race winless streak at other than EchoPark Speedway. Elliott’s race began like everyone else’s: tense and tactical. He kept his distance as stage two turned into a demolition derby, with 19 cars, including several title contenders, caught in a mess that silenced pit boxes and broke playoff dreams. Throughout it all, Chase held steady, finishing 10th in the first stage, dodging chaos by inches, not miles.
And then, as the field regrouped, the No. 9 came alive. In stage two, he climbed past teammate Alex Bowman and locked horns with Brad Keselowski in a stage three chess match at 180 mph. It all came down to the final lap. Turn 3. Elliott started it to the inside of Keselowski, wheels nearly touching, and never looked back.
The crowd roared. Dawsonville’s siren wailed. And NASCAR had its moment. Elliott, flashing his infamous warm smile, didn’t hold back. “Unbelievable. How about that? Are you kidding me?.. This is unbelievable. Thank you guys so much. What a special car. It was a lot of fun. This right here is something I’ll never forget.”
GEORGIA’S OWN AT GEORGIA’S TRACK! pic.twitter.com/iCNF7Q34C4
— NASCAR (@NASCAR) June 29, 2025
This was more than a return to Victory Lane. It was a homecoming. A soul-cleansing exile after nearly a year and a half of heartbreak, close calls, and relentless pressure. Chase Elliott hadn’t won on home turf since 2022. But on this day, he didn’t just win; he delivered hope to fans clinging to every lap. And the symbolism couldn’t be stronger. Specially designed to drive delivery, tied into a social impact initiative, it became a winning car on the grand stage in the grandest fashion.
This was the ninth year of the Drive to Design initiative, and this year’s design was created by 11-year-old Rhealynn Mills, a pediatric cancer patient at Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta. The phrases “Cure cancer” and “Helping kids like me” can be seen on either side of a sketch of a nurse on the hood. It was a sweet tribute to a great cause, and Mills was even on the frontstretch during Chase’s interview, saying it was “So cool” to see her design end up in Victory Lane.
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