What a way to kick off the season for the #9 team! NASCAR made history by racing at the iconic Bowman Gray Stadium for the first time since 1971! And you better believe they went all out to hype up the event, even releasing a full documentary ahead of the race. But, honestly, no one kept the hype going better than Chase Elliott.

Fastest in practice, fastest in qualifying, and fastest in his heat race. It was like he was on a pole-position streak! Then, to cap off the two-day event at “The Madhouse” with that dominant win? Pure storybook material. Chase started from the pole, led 171 out of 200 laps, and took home the win in “The Clash.” That kind of performance had everyone at Hendrick Motorsports singing his praises.

Hendrick Motorsports president applauds Chase Elliott

During the race, Ryan Blaney and Denny Hamlin tried their best to challenge the leader. Hamlin even led for a while, but Elliott took control again and held on to the top spot. Blaney finished second, and Hamlin took third. For the #9 team, this victory was huge. Not only was it their first Clash win, but it also set the perfect tone for the season ahead. And the cherry on top? It all lined up perfectly with their 2025 season motto.

Hendrick Motorsports President Jeff Andrews couldn’t contain his excitement, praising Chase Elliott and the team. He told SiriusXM NASCAR Radio, “Yeah a really good start. You know start off by saying ‘thrive in 25’ and that’s what we started off our kickoff luncheon with earlier this week. And Mr Hendrick came up with that slogan for us this year. So that’s a great way to start thriving in 25 with the win here and what an event. “

The “kickoff luncheon” is a tradition at HMS, where all staff gather before the season starts. Rick Hendrick came up with this year’s “Thrive in 25” slogan, and it seems to be working wonders. If you recall, Jeff Gordon even shared some behind-the-scenes photos from the event on Instagram, captioning them, “The annual kickoff lunch was a success! Time to thrive in ‘25.”

And while celebrations are still on at HMS headquarters, Andrews was especially impressed with how Chase handled the race at Bowman Gray. “Hats off to NASCAR and everything that went into putting this event on and congratulations obviously to Alan Chase and entire NAPA Team just great car for two days. Just very very good to see them be able to finish that off. And super proud of Chase the way he drove that race and managed his tires there in that last segment. Just a perfect classic. Short track classic. Chase Elliott really proud of him,” Elliott.

Continuing on the same BGS note, the #9 team is now probably eyeing the Daytona 500. If they win it…it would be EPIC for four reasons!

Is the Daytona 500 next?

With the Clash win under their belts, the #9 team is now turning their attention to the Daytona 500. Imagine how epic it would be if Elliott pulled off a win in the “Great American Race.” Not only would it give him back-to-back victories to start the season, but it would also be his first-ever Daytona 500 win. Plus, it’d mark the first time anyone has won both the Clash and Daytona 500 in the next-gen car.

And, for some added nostalgia, it would mirror what Bill Elliott did in 1987. Bill won the Clash that year and then went on to win the Daytona 500—also in the #9 car. How cool would it be for history to repeat itself with Chase behind the wheel? Chase is fired up for the race. He said, “Excited to get to Daytona. It’s a great way to start the season. I know it’s not a points race, but it is nice to win, for sure. Just really proud of our team for just continuing to keep our heads down and push forward, for sure.”

And let us give you a fifth reason. It would also be a first for Alan Gustafson. Chase Elliott’s crew chief is a Daytona Beach native but has never won the iconic race in his 26-year-long NASCAR career. But he’s keeping it cool, “I think for me, that is definitely a race I’d love to win but it’s never really haunted me because you look at some of the winners and if you look at some of our other marquee events, those races really have more of a Hall-of-Fame win list – the Southern 500, Coca-Cola 600, Brickyard 400. That doesn’t mean I don’t want to win it. I do want to win it and obviously, I’m going to do everything I can to do that, but those aren’t the ones I lose sleep over at night. And I’ve been close.” 

Do you think Elliott and Gustafson have what it takes to win their first Daytona 500 this year? Let us know in the comments below!