Bill Elliott

DAWSONVILLE, Ga. (November 9, 2009) – Chase Elliott and the No. 9 Aaron’s Dream Machine team finished fifth in the 125-lap CRA Super Series race during Saturday’s North-South Shootout at Concord (N.C.) Speedway. After struggling slightly in qualifying, thirteen-year-old Elliott started 14th and drove his way toward the front to post a solid top-five finish in strong 26-car field.

After the race, Elliott radioed to his crew, “I’m sorry guys, if I had had a better qualifying effort, we wouldn’t have had to use our equipment up to get to fifth. The car was great tonight; I wish I could have done more.”

Ricky Turner, Elliott’s crew chief and substitute spotter while dad Bill Elliott raced in Texas, encouraged the young driver, “Chase, you did an exceptionally good job, man. You just don’t realize the amount of competition that you were up against tonight. I think you did great, and now we have a car and data that we can work from going into the World Crown next weekend.”

After posting the tenth quickest time in first practice, Elliott and the No. 9 Aaron’s Dream Machine picked up half a second and nearly three miles per hour to top the leader board in final practice. Elliott’s fastest lap of 15.808 seconds placed him ahead of Jeff Choquette in second and the rest of the 26-car field.

Despite the speed in practice, Elliott fell victim to the cool autumn air in Concord, N.C., when qualifying rolled around late Friday night.

“Getting heat in the tires was the key to a good run in qualifying, and I just didn’t get enough heat in mine,” said Elliott, who went out sixth in the lineup and posted the 12th fastest time. Elliott’s fastest lap of 16.032 seconds was just over half a second off the pole lap of Cassius Clark.

Only the top-five qualifiers were locked in while the rest of the field raced for starting positions in 20-lap heat races. Elliott started fourth in the first heat and finished fifth, placing him 14th for the start of Saturday’s 125-lap feature.

Elliott took the green flag in 14th but quickly moved into 11th before the first caution on lap two. Back under green again, Elliott took over tenth position from the No. 51 of Brian Ickler on lap nine and maintained his position in the top-ten until the second caution on lap 46.

Elliott steered the No. 9 Aaron’s Dream Machine down pit road to the attention of his crew for two fresh right side tires. Elliott rejoined the field in ninth position again but moved up to seventh when two cars pitted late.

The field took the green flag and Elliott moved into sixth place after four laps. With his sights set on the top-five, Elliott embarked on a 25-lap battle with Max Gresham and the No. 7-11 and finally took over fifth place on lap 78.

Around the 100-lap mark, Elliott shuffled positions with Preston Peltier and Choquette, dropping to sixth but reclaiming fifth by lap 112.

As the final laps wound down, Elliott held off pressure from Ryan Blaney’s No. 110 machine as they raced all the way to the checkers with Elliott posting fifth and Blaney sixth.

The CRA-sanctioned event was Elliott’s seventh Super Late Model start and fourth SLM top-ten. The second-generation driver has made 28 total Late Model starts since moving up to the stock cars in April, recording four wins, 13 top-5’s and 23 top-10’s overall.

Up next on Elliott’s schedule is the 26th Annual World Crown 300, November 13-15, at the newly remodeled Gresham Motorsports Park (formerly Peach State Speedway) in Jefferson, Ga. The 300-lap Pro Late Model race will be Elliott’s first start at the half-mile asphalt track near his hometown of Dawsonville, Ga. For more information, including event schedule and tickets, please visit www.GreshamMotorsportsPark.com.

For the most up-to-date Chase Elliott news, including his racing schedule and weekly podcast, please visit www.ChaseElliott.com.

Be sure to vote for Chase Elliott in the 2009 Late Model Most Popular Driver Award presented by Aluminum Racing Products. You can vote daily now through December 6th by following the link at www.ChaseElliott.com.

About Aaron’s: Aaron’s Sales & Lease Ownership stores offer customers access to high-quality furniture, appliances, electronics and computers for sale or as a lease-ownership arrangement. Customers have the option of buying their merchandise for an attractive cash price or opting to lease their merchandise for even greater flexibility. With a lease option, customers make modest monthly payments and have the immediate use of the items they need without waiting for credit checks or other delays. Plus, Aaron’s will take care of delivery, setup, repairs, and more for the duration of a customer’s lease.

The Aaron’s concept has proven to be successful for half a century; in fact, the very first Aaron’s location opened in Atlanta, Georgia, in 1955. Aaron’s is a leader in the sale and lease ownership of residential furniture, consumer electronics and home appliances, with more than 1,500 Company-operated and franchised stores in 48 states and Canada. The Company also manufactures an exclusive line of furniture, bedding and accessories at 10 facilities in four states.

For more information, please visit shopaarons.com.

About Bill Elliott Racing: In 2008, NASCAR legend Bill Elliott launched a Driver Development program as an extension of Bill Elliott Racing. Based on the principles of teamwork, strong work ethic and positive attitudes, the program aims to guide young drivers through the highs and lows of life in auto racing and to make them leaders on and off the track.

Drivers will climb through the ranks of asphalt racing, starting in the Legends Racing Series and move up to Pro Late Model stock cars – including the Georgia Asphalt Series (GAS) and ASA Racing – and onto Super Late Models in series such as the Champion Racing Association (CRA) Super Series. From there they will progress to the ARCA RE/MAX and other series that are age and talent specific. To encourage strong communication and clear feedback, drivers will also intermittently run dirt Late Models that reinforce car control and a thorough understanding of the feel of the car.

Please visit www.BillElliott.com for more information on the Bill Elliott Racing team and sponsors.

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CHASE ELLIOTT
No. 9 Aaron’s Lucky Dog Dream Machine
Pro & Super Late Model
Bill Elliott Racing

2009 RACE-BY-RACE RESULTS
Date Venue Series Qual Start Finish
3/28 South Georgia Motorsports Park ASA/LMSS 7 7 6
4/4 Watermelon Capital Speedway GAS 4 4 7
4/11 Lanier National Speedway ASA/SAT 16 16 6
4/17 Anderson Motor Speedway GAS 4 2 3
4/18 Montgomery Motor Speedway SPLMS 4 4 2
4/25 Dillon Motor Speedway ASA/SAT 6 5 9
5/9 Lanier National Speedway GAS, SUPER 6 2 2 1
5/30 Lanier National Speedway GAS, SUPER 6 2 4 6
6/6 Watermelon Capital Speedway ASA/SAT 23 23 22 (DNF, wreck)
6/13 South Alabama Speedway Viper Series 5 2 3
6/27 Lanier National Speedway ASA/SAT 5 5 6
7/3 Lanier National Speedway GAS, SUPER 6 6 6 7
7/11 Orange County Speedway ASA/SAT 5 4 Rain Out
7/18 Watermelon Capital Speedway GAS 1 6 1
7/25 Montgomery Motor Speedway ASA/SAT 6 3 13 (DNF, wreck)
8/1 Lanier National Speedway GAS, SUPER 6 4 1 3
8/7 Five Flags Speedway Blizzard Series 12 12 18 *
8/8 Anderson Motor Speedway ASA/SAT 2 8 1
8/15 Lanier National Speedway GAS, SUPER 6 5 5 2
8/23 Nashville Fairgrounds Speedway CRA 14 13 8 *
8/29 Hickory Motor Speedway PASS 2 4 1 *
9/5 Lanier National Speedway GAS, SUPER 6 5 5 2
9/7 Winchester Speedway CRA 12 12 15 *
9/12 Lanier National Speedway GAS/ASA/SAT 1 4 3 **
9/25 Five Flags Speedway Blizzard Series 3 3 21 * (DNF, engine)
10/9 Five Flags Speedway Night of Champions 3 3 3
10/10 Montgomery Motor Speedway Show me the Money III 2 2 6
10/18 Winchester Speedway CRA 6 6 8 *
11/5-7 Concord Speedway CRA / N-S Shootout 12 14 5 *
11/13-15 Gresham Motorsports Park World Crown
12/2-6 Five Flags Speedway Snowball Derby

ASA/LMSS = ASA Late Model Series South
GAS = Georgia Asphalt Series
ASA/SAT = ASA Southeast Asphalt Tour
SPLMS = Southern Pro Late Model Series
SUPER 6 = Lanier National Speedway Super Six Series
CRA = CRA Super Series
PASS = Pro All Stars Series South
* Super Late Model start
** Non-points event
SCHEDULE IS TENTATIVE AND SUBJECT TO CHANGE.