Chase Elliott Snowball Derby legacy defined by triumph and heartbreak

Hendrick Motorsports driver Chase Elliott created both bitter and sweet memories at the Snowball Derby. He has built a remarkable legacy, delivering astonishing victories, but also faced disqualifications and setbacks.

Elliott got his breakthrough back in 2011. He clinched his maiden victory in the 300-lap race, becoming the youngest driver to win the event at 16 years old. He also set another record of securing the victory with the closest winning difference. The Dawsonville native crossed the finish line 0.229, less than a quarter of a second, ahead of the runner-up driver, D.J. VanderLey.

Two years later, in 2013, Chase Elliott once again finished the 300-lap late model race in first place. But later, during a post-race inspection, he faced a major setback. Elliott was disqualified for having an illegal block of tungsten for the lead weighting in his ride. Following that, Erik Jones was named the 2013 Snowball Derby champion, marking his second consecutive victory in the 300-lap event.

Following that, the NASCAR Cup Series driver secured his next victory in 2015 in a similar fashion. During the Five Flags Speedway event, Elliott finished one spot behind Christopher Bell, the initial winner. However, later during the post-race inspection, the track staff disqualified Bell for his disproportionate weight balance.

The #51 Kyle Busch Motorsports driver got three chances over the scale but failed each time. Following that, 90 minutes after the race, Chase Elliott was announced as the new winner. Additionally, the former Cup Series champion also clinched three Snowflake 100 titles in 2010, 2012, and 2013.

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Chase Elliott explained the reason behind not competing in the All-American 400 this season

In November 2025, #9 Chevy Camaro ZL1 driver Chase Elliott was featured in an interview with NASCAR journalist Steven Taranto. During the interaction, Elliott opened up about the reason behind not competing in the All-American 400 for Rick Turner’s team.

The HMS driver expressed his desire to compete in the event for Turner. However, he later learned that fellow NASCAR driver Jake Garcia will be competing for the team in the All-American 400 scheduled after the Cup Series finale. Reflecting on that, the Cup Series driver stepped back, giving Garcia the chance.

"I don't, honestly, right now. We had talked about the All-American at a couple different points, but I think it was after you mentioned it to me, actually, because I had no idea. Typically it was always like in early October or mid-October, and our season's always been going on. But anyways, inquired about it. I had interest. I love The Fairgrounds,” stated Chase Elliott.

"Jake was pretty committed to doing it and wanted to do it. He had kind of got there first. That was totally fine. But I don't have any plans or really haven't talked about anything past that," he concluded.

Following that, ahead of the main event, Jake Garcia was involved in a massive crash during the practice session at Nashville Fairgrounds Speedway. Garcia had high hopes to continue his winning streak after clinching the 2024 season race. Furthermore, he is set to compete in the 58th annual Snowball Derby race at Five Flags Speedway.