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Chase Elliott Seeking History at All American 400
Georgia Driver Looks to be the First to Win All the Super Late Model Majors
Chase Elliott has more riding on his shot at victory in the All American 400 at Fairgrounds Speedway Nashville than any other driver in recent memory. A victory could have him becoming the first driver to win the Grand Slam of the Super Late Model world.
The All American 400, along with the World Crown 300, Winchester 400 and the Snowball Derby make up the unofficial Grand Slam of Super Late Model racing. Over the years hundreds of drivers have tried to win just one of the big events. Most never get to taste victory in any of them. Winning one is rare and multiple winners are few and far between.
Short track legends Darrell Waltrip, Bobby Gill, Butch Miller, Gary Balough and Gary St. Amant have all won three of the four. No one has ever completed the Super Late Model sweep, but that could change come November 2 in the All American 400 as Elliott attempts to make history.
"We have been fortunate enough to win the races we have over the years," said Elliott. "Being able to be strong each race and to win the ones we have says a lot about our team. Ricky Turner (crew chief) and all the guys are the same. We have not had any new faces since I ran my first Late Model race a few years ago. We don't want to get ahead of ourselves before we go. A lot of work has to be done before we can be in position to win. It sure would be a huge accomplishment."
Elliott captured his first major in 2010 at the Winchester 400 at Indiana's Winchester Speedway at the age of 15. He added to his legacy with a Snowball Derby win at Five Flags Speedway in Pensacola, Florida in 2011 and then a World Crown 300 win in 2012 at Gresham Motorsports Park in his home state of Georgia. In one prior All American start at Nashville, Elliott finished second to TJ Reaid in 2010.
"We came so close there a few years ago," said Elliott. "We were talking about that race a few weeks ago. When we went there a few years back we had a lot of fun even though we didn't win. Being a part of the All American was special then and now we want to go back and try to win."
Of the five drivers that have won three of the four Super Late Model major events previously, only Balough and Gill ran for a chance at the Grand Slam. Balough ran Winchester, the only race left on his list, in 1986 and finished 24th. Gill also struggled in the Winchester 400 and placed 14th.
"It means a lot to me to be able to say we have won the Derby, Winchester and the World Crown," said Elliott. "That's our goal every year to win the big races. It's going to take a good effort like we have given and I know we can put ourselves into position to win and we'll have to go from there. That's the hard part, being in position to win in these big races."
Joining Elliott will be former All American 400 winners Mike Garvey, TJ Reaid, Eddie Hoffman and Ross Kenseth along with Southern Super Series presented by Sunoco championship contenders Bubba Pollard and Daniel Hemric. Erik Jones will also be on hand as he's fresh off his Winchester 400 win along with SSS winners, Augie Grill and Kyle Benjamin. They will be joined in Nashville by John Hunter Nemechek, Austin Theriault, Stephen Nasse and many others from throughout the country.
The All American 400 is co-sanctioned by the Southern Super Series presented by Sunoco and Champion Racing Association (CRA). Forty cars are already entered into the event and additional entries are received daily by Fairgrounds Speedway Nashville officials. The current entry list can be found on www.southernsuperseries.com and www.fairgroundsspeedwaynashville.com.
October 22, 2013
