Man, there’s just something about that big, red No. 9 race car. Chase Elliott will pay tribute to his legendary father — Bill Elliott — for Darlington Throwback weekend as the sport’s Most Popular Driver will run a red No. 9 Llumar Window Film Chevrolet Camaro.
The scheme, which comes complete with the Evernham Motorsports No. 9 number font, throws back to his father’s days with Ray Evernham’s Dodge team in the early 2000s.
RELATED: 2023 NASCAR Darlington Throwback Paint Schemes
Hendrick Motorsports released three photos of the car sitting in the Hendrick shop on Friday morning, and all we can say is — Chef’s kiss.
A full circle moment for @chaseelliott. @llumarfilms | @TooToughToTame pic.twitter.com/5GmaeFs2QR
— Hendrick Motorsports (@TeamHendrick) May 5, 2023
Chase Elliott also posted a video to his twitter, where he shows off the paint scheme and talks to his father about it:
This one means a lot. @llumarfilms #NASCARThrowback #di9 pic.twitter.com/qS1KbZ44vB
— Chase Elliott (@chaseelliott) May 5, 2023
Bill Elliott was the 1988 NASCAR Cup Series champion, and was the man who clocked the fastest qualifying lap in NASCAR Cup Series history, a 212.809 mph lap at Talladega Superspeedway back in 1987.
However, after an illustrious career, Elliott changed gears in 2001 when he moved from Ford to Dodge as he became the driver of the No. 9 machine for Ray Evernham’s new Evernham Motorsports team.
Elliott would win four races over his first three seasons with the Evernham team, including the 2002 Brickyard 400.
Overall, the elder Elliott scored 44 wins over 828 starts in the NASCAR Cup Series.
Chase Elliott, who missed six races earlier this season due to a broken left tibia suffered in a snowboarding accident, has 18-career NASCAR Cup Series wins to date, and was the 2020 NASCAR Cup Series champion.
While Elliott sits 29th in the championship standings, currently, a win would elevate him into the 2023 NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs. He’ll look to score a win in his father’s old paint scheme.
