Chevrolet’s 800th Win Car
by Tom Jensen January 23, 2024
NASCAR Hall of Fame’s Victory Lane houses historic Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet Camaro
When it comes to winning NASCAR Cup Series races, Chevrolet and Hendrick Motorsports have posted record victory totals.
Heading into the 2024 Cup Series season, Chevrolets have won 851 races in NASCAR’s top division, dating all the way back to March 26, 1955, when Fonty Flock won a 200-lap race on the old Columbia Speedway 0.500-mile dirt track in Cayce, South Carolina. The 851 victories are the most by any manufacturer in the sport.
Hendrick Motorsports, meanwhile, is the all-time leader in Cup Series race wins, with 301, and driver championships, with 14.
It is hardly surprising, therefore, that the Hendrick organization was responsible for Chevrolet’s most recent milestone victory.
Despite torrential rain, Chase Elliott put his No. 9 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet out front to win on NASCAR’s first visit to the Circuit of the Americas road course in Austin, Texas. Photo courtesy of Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images
At the 3.410-mile Circuit of the Americas (COTA) road course in Austin, Texas, Hendrick driver Chase Elliott won the inaugural Echopark Texas Grand Prix on May 23, 2021, surviving monsoon-like conditions to take the checkered flag ahead of his teammate, Kyle Larson. Elliott, the 2020 Cup Series champion, led the final 5 of 54 laps at COTA to take his first victory of the season and the 800th for Chevrolet. The victory was also the 268th for Hendrick Motorsports, tying the team with Petty Enterprises for most in series history, a record they would break the following week when Larson won the Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway.
“Just a huge win on multiple fronts.” Elliott said after the race. “Win number 800 for Chevrolet. They’re a great partner to me personally. They’ve played a massive role in the success of Hendrick Motorsports past and present. A great group to work with. So super proud of them. Obviously, there’s a lot of guys, a lot more guys than me, that have contributed to that banner. Really proud and honored to be able to hold that up today. Then to tie (Petty Enterprises) obviously is a big one. The boss (team founder and owner Rick Hendrick, an inductee into the NASCAR Hall of fame Class of 2017) has been on us heavy about that record.”
The picturesque Circuit of the Americas road course was a stunning backdrop for a NASCAR Cup Series race. Photo courtesy of Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images
The victory clearly meant a lot to Elliott.
“Just to have a name on the trophy is probably the most important thing,” said Elliott. “Super proud just of our whole group. I feel like we really kind of persevered through multiple challenges today. I didn’t think we started the day off great, but we were able to kind of fight back, get to where we had a lot of pace there at the end. Really proud of that. Like I said, first name on the trophy, last name, I don’t know that it matters really. Just proud to have it on there.”
Chase Elliott (left) and Hall of Famer Jeff Gordon led the celebration when Elliott delivered Chevrolet’s 800th win. (Photo courtesy of Chris Graythen/Getty Images
In the NASCAR Hall of Fame’s Victory Lane, a Hendrick-built exact replica of Elliott’s car is on display, complete with the grooved Goodyear Eagle rain tires Elliott raced on, as well as the windshield wiper used to aid visibility. After Elliott’s victory, the team cut the door off the race-winning car and auctioned it off to benefit the Victory Junction Camp.
Along with Elliott’s No. 9 Chevrolet, the Victory Lane exhibit includes a highlight video of Chevrolet’s past successes in the Cup Series.
Victory Lane at the NASCAR Hall of Fame showcases Chevrolet’s success in the NASCAR Cup Series. Photo courtesy of Tom Jensen
Plan a visit to the Hall of Fame and purchase tickets at nascarhall.com/tickets.
