For NASCAR drivers, pulling into Victory Lane at iconic races, like the Daytona 500, is unimaginable, winning a championship is amazing, but there’s nothing quite like winning their first race. After 98 winless Cup Series races, Chase Elliott finally won his 99th start. A fan favorite predicted to follow Dale Earnhardt Jr.’s dominance as NASCAR’s most popular driver, the racing world has been impatiently waiting for its new favorite son to take the checkered flag. The moment he knew he got it done. Retweet to congratulate @chaseelliott on his first career victory! pic.twitter.com/H0nOp3h2Tl — NASCAR (@NASCAR) August 5, 2018 But there’s a small (faux) problem with the 22-year-old driver’s first victory: It comes with a hideous trophy. See, Elliott won the Go Bowling at The Glen on Sunday at Watkins Glen International, a road course in upstate New York. It already made our list of 2018’s most awkward race names earlier this season, and, of course, it had a ridiculous trophy to go with it. Congratulations on your first race win, Chase. Here’s a bowling pin. He’s just going to have to win another race to make up for this trophy.<doc-sep>1. Kyle Busch: We made sure to note what Busch did Sunday afternoon but it’s worth repeating. He gained 22 spots in the final 32 laps at a road course. That’s incredible. Busch had a right to be upset with the troubles that plagued his team on the final pit stop. They ruined any chance he had of racing Chase Elliott and Martin Truex Jr. for the win. And given how well he sliced through the field in the final third of the race he probably had a pretty good chance in a three-way battle. Busch currently boasts the best average finish of anyone in the Cup Series and has a firm grip on the points lead. He’s 70 points up on Kevin Harvick. If Busch maintains that gap over the next three races he’s going to clinch the regular-season points title at Darlington, just like Truex did a year ago. 2. Martin Truex Jr.: Truex has now finished second to both Erik Jones and Chase Elliott, the two first-time winners in 2018. We’ll let you write your own “young driver beats defending champion for first victory!” narratives in your own time. Truex is over 120 points back of Kyle Busch and his season is better than 2017 so far. Soak that in for a minute. Truex had four wins, 10 top-five finishes and 17 top-10 finishes in the first 26 races of 2017. Through the first 22 races of the season this season Truex has four wins and 15 top-five finishes. Want a statistical oddity? Truex hasn’t finished outside of the top five inside of the top 10 this season. 3. Kevin Harvick: Harvick finished 10th on Sunday. As Busch and Truex were near the front of the field throughout the majority of the weekend Harvick was off. He didn’t post speeds at the top of the chart in practice and started the race in 15th. He’ll be competitive again at Michigan, a place where he finished second to teammate Clint Bowyer in June and probably would have won at if the race went a few laps longer before the rain began. 4. Chase Elliott: Elliott isn’t even in the top 10 of the points standings. He’s still 11th. But is he emerging as the top threat for that coveted No. 4 spot in the NASCAR hierarchy? There’s a decent case to be made for it. Story continues He now has eight playoff points, two fewer than Clint Bowyer. But all eight of those points have come within the last three races and he’s finished inside of the top 13 in each of the last four races. There’s still a big gulf between Busch, Harvick, Truex, and everyone else, but Elliott could now be the guy that’s leading the other side. “I feel like the past few weeks ‑‑ have we had the actual pace of the 4 and the 18? No, probably not,” Elliott said. “But have we been a hell of a lot better than what we were at the beginning of the year? Yes. And have we been a legitimate top‑5 car? I would say so. So that’s a big improvement from what we’ve been. You don’t just go from running 12th to 15th to winning these races overnight consistently.” 5. Kurt Busch: Did you know that Kurt Busch has the most points of any driver not named Kyle Busch, Harvick or Truex? It’s true. Busch is now two points ahead of Clint Bowyer for fourth after finishing ninth on Sunday. Bowyer was 11th … two points behind Busch. “We had a surprise flat right-rear and that forced us into taking two tires and we had to improvise from there,” Busch said. “It’s kind of a bummer, but we made the best we could with it and got a top 10.“ 6. Kyle Larson: Larson finished sixth and he was pleased with that. “Yeah, a lot better finish than I thought we would have,” Larson said. “I always feel like I don’t race well at these places, but able to run a nice smooth race, so I was happy about that and I think we finished sixth or seventh, so yeah, pretty cool.” 7. Clint Bowyer: Bowyer was 11th, meaning Stewart-Haas Racing had drivers finish ninth, 10th and 11th. Aric Almirola was not eighth or 12th because he hit the wall early in the race. 8. Erik Jones: Jones finished fifth on Sunday. He’s continuing his steady improvement. It was happening before Daytona and it’s continuing to happen after that win. He has 11 top-10 finishes now and six of them have happened in the last seven races. 9. Denny Hamlin: Hamlin started first but didn’t stay there for very long. He only led two laps and his race highlight wasn’t a very good one. This crazy pit stop sent Hamlin to the back because he ran over the air hose. (via NBC) The chaos happened because Hamlin’s team — like many others — were pitting the outside tires on the car last in an apparent attempt to save time. 10. Ryan Blaney: Almirola went spinning after early contact from Blaney. It appeared that Almirola had no idea Blaney was inside of him in turn 7. Blaney went on to finish 12th. 11. Brad Keselowski: Keselowski was caught behind Hamlin’s car — you can see him stop for Hamlin’s crew in that GIF above. Here’s his explanation when we asked about teams pitting the outside of the car last. I’m not 100% sure. But think it has to do with not carrying a tire back so far. https://t.co/7X8ngdHDzO — Brad Keselowski (@keselowski) August 5, 2018 12. Joey Logano: Logano finished last for the first time since 2009 after early contact led to his retirement at Watkins Glen a after a single lap. After being the most consistent driver in terms of laps completed for much of the early part of the season, randomness is catching up to Logano. The Lucky Dog: Daniel Suarez was fourth The DNF: Outside of Logano, there’s really no good candidate. – – – – – – – Nick Bromberg is a writer for Yahoo Sports. More from Yahoo Sports: • NASCAR CEO arrested for driving drunk • LeBron Jr. likely to play at Santa Monica private school • Packers LB who beat the odds finds birth parents • 13 UNC players suspended for selling sneakers<doc-sep>
Chase Elliott racked up countless unforgettable moments Sunday after his first NASCAR Cup Series victory — even if he can’t quite recall how many beers he had partying afterward. Jumping on top of his No. 9 Chevrolet, celebrating with his crew and hugging his father, Bill Elliott, in Victory Lane are surely among them for the 22-year-old driver. But so is a special moment he shared with Hendrick Motorsports teammate Jimmie Johnson. After crossing the finish line in the Go Bowling at The Glen at Watkins Glen International, Elliott ran out of fuel and was stuck on the track. So Johnson pulled up from behind and gave him a push so he could enjoy his victory lap, making Elliott actually happy he emptied his tank after winning. Getting a push from a seven-time champ. What do you think of @chaseelliott's first career win? Share your thoughts using #VictoryLap as post-race coverage continues in a few moments on @NBCSN. pic.twitter.com/hhkGukVV3F — NASCAR on NBC (@NASCARonNBC) August 5, 2018 “It was awesome — I wouldn’t have changed that for anything,” Elliott told For The Win by phone. “Jimmie’s become a good friend and somebody I’ve leaned on a lot, so (it was) a special moment. I felt like things came full circle. I felt like he had a part in that win. I lean on him a lot, and I thought that was a special way to get it kicked off.” Johnson — a 42-year-old driver seven-time Cup Series champion — has embraced being, by far, the oldest driver on the team now. His and Elliott’s birthdays are almost exactly 20 years apart. Their other teammates, Alex Bowman and William Byron, are both newcomers this year and are also just as young at 25 and 20, respectively. They lovingly joke about calling Johnson “grandpa,” but Elliott has previously said he sees the veteran drive more like “Uncle Jimmie.” However you define their relationship, it’s so much more than teammates. “He’s been a great friend, mentor and teammate,” Elliott said. “All of the above.” When they finally got out of their cars, Johnson was one of the first people to officially congratulate Elliott, who said the 17-season veteran was “genuinely happy” for him. Johnson — who has yet to get a win of his own this season — called Elliott “such a good friend” and said, via ESPN’s Bob Pockrass: “This winter, we had some beers and kind of relived when things slipped from him in some other races. “To see him get it done, get that monkey off his back, I’m just so happy for him.” As the thrill of his first victory continues to sink in, Elliott said it’s very satisfying and a relief after 98 winless races and eight runner-up finishes. Now, as he looks ahead to Sunday’s Consumers Energy 400 at Michigan International Speedway (2:30 p.m. ET, NBCSN), he’s eager to be on the attack and take a few more risks. His win Sunday guaranteed his spot in the 16-driver, 10-race playoff this fall. “We’re not going to change how we go about things,” Elliott said. “We can certainly be on the more offensive side now that we’re locked into the playoffs, so we’ll see where it leads from here.”