Elliott had the best car throughout Sunday’s title race at Phoenix Raceway and easily cruised to his first Cup Series title over Brad Keselowski, Joey Logano and Denny Hamlin.
Elliott passed Logano for the race win and the championship with 42 laps to go and set sail as the three drivers he was racing for the title couldn’t come close to mounting a challenge. Elliott led 153 laps, the most of any driver.
The championship is Elliott’s first and will likely make him the first driver since his father, Bill, in 1988 to win the Cup Series title in the same season where he was voted NASCAR’s most popular driver. Chase Elliott has been NASCAR’s most popular driver for the past two seasons and is a shoo-in for his third straight.
Elliott had to start at the back of the field on Sunday after his car failed inspection multiple times. But he moved his way to the front quickly and took the lead for the first time on lap 79 of the 312 lap race.
Keselowski finished second, while Logano was third and Hamlin was fourth. Elliott’s teammate and seven-time champion Jimmie Johnson was fifth in his final NASCAR Cup Series start as a full-time driver.
Final playoff standings
1. Chase Elliott
2. Brad Keselowski
3. Joey Logano
4. Denny Hamlin
5. Kevin Harvick
