Chase Elliott holds one of the most coveted trophies in all of short track racing – a Nashville guitar – after winning Saturday night’s All American 400 at Fairgrounds Speedway Nashville. Photo by Brandon Reed
History making doesn’t come easy. Just ask Chase Elliott.
The Dawsonville, Georgia speedster had to come back from a pre-race penalty that sent him to the back of the field to take the lead with 30 laps remaining in Saturday night’s All American 400 at Fairgrounds Speedway Nashville in Nashville, TN, then held off a hard charging Daniel Hemric over the closing laps to score the victory.
The win gave the 17-year-old the coveted Nashville guitar trophy for the legendary event, which saw an incredible race for its 29th installment.
It also marked the first time any race driver has been able to win all four of the “Crown Jewel” Super Late Model races, as Elliott has previously won the World Crown 300 at Gresham Motorsports Park, the Winchester 400 at Winchester Speedway, and the Snowball Derby at Five Flags Speedway.
“It feels awesome,” Elliott said after the win. “I still don’t know what to think about it. This means the world to me.”
After setting fast time in qualifying, Elliott had to fall to the rear of the field after his team changed a broken track bar. The Bill Elliott Motorsports team instantly went into conservation mode. After making his way about halfway through the 36 car field, Elliott began working to save his tires, with the team not making their first tire change until near the halfway mark of the race.
With 75 laps left to go, the No. 9 team made their final pit stop of the night, taking on four fresh tires. Elliott would turn that fresh rubber into positions on the track, as he powered his way through the field.
On a lap 265 restart, Elliott would power around Augie Grill to move to third, trailing leader Johnny VanDoorn and second place Hunter Robbins. With 31 laps to go, Robbins would move around VanDoorn in turn three for the lead, with Elliott in tow.
Elliott saw his opening coming off turn four, and powered his way to the inside of Robbins. The two raced side-by-side down the front stretch and through turn one, with Elliott clearing Robbins to make the final lead change of the night off turn two. He would go on to hold off Hemric for the win.
“Daniel (Hemric) was coming hard, and I knew he was going to be tough because he had a little bit fresher tires than we did,” Elliott said. “(I’m) Just glad we could pull it off.”
Daniel Hemric put together a late charge that gave him the Southern Super Series championship by one point over Bubba Pollard. Photo by Matt Weaver
The race also marked the season finale for the inaugural Southern Super Series Super Late Model tour, with Daniel Hemric snatching the championship away from Bubba Pollard after a late race crash sidelined Pollard.
“I hate to see Bubba go out like that. I hate to see something like that. That was horrible. But man I would really like to be holding my guitar,” Hemric said moments after being told he was the champion.
Pollard came into the night needing only to finish 18th or better to take home the title. After going a lap down early on when his crew made a shock change under caution, the Senoia, GA racer powered his way back onto the lead lap, and then worked his way back into contention.
After his team made several adjustments during the race, Pollard had a strong car, and was running sixth on a lap 283 restart when contact from Kyle Benjamin in turn one sent Pollard’s car hard into the outside wall, gathering up Benjamin, Mason Mingus, Erik Jones, Austin Theriault and Eddie Hoffman in the melee, and bringing out the red flag.
“He had the rear tires of my car picked up off the ground before we even got in (turn) one,” said Pollard after the race. “I don’t know what his thinking was.”
“I had so much rear brake in my car because I had been so tight all night, when I hit the brakes it started to wreck,” said Benjamin of the wreck. “It just came around on me, and then I got into the back of (Pollard).”
All the drivers escaped injury, but Pollard’s night was over, and his championship hopes rested on the fate of Hemric.
Back under green, Hemric and his Carswell Motorsports team could sense the title was within their grasp. The No. 98 restarted eighth, and instantly went on the attack with 17 laps left. With 12 laps to go, Hemric blew past VanDoorn to take third. With eight laps remaining, he put a power move on Robbins to take second, and began working to reel in Chase Elliott for the lead.
Hemric was closing, but ran out of laps, as he had to settle for second place in the All American.
But when the points were tallied, his charge paid off, as he nipped Pollard for the championship title by just one point.
“I was surprised we were able to hold on with old tires like we did,” Hemric said. “For it to turn out the way it did, the cautions fell our way.”
“It’s part of racing,” said Pollard. “It’s just an unfortunate deal that happened tonight. We’ll pick up and go on and come back next year and try it again.”
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Defending All American champion Ross Kenseth finished in sixth, with World Crown 300 winner Preston Peltier in seventh. Chad Finley, Trey Mitchell and Donnie Wilson rounded out the top 10.
Matt Weaver contributed to this story.
Southern Super Series
Fairgrounds Speedway Nashville – Nashville, TN
All American 400 – Nov. 2, 2013
1. Chase Elliott
2. Daniel Hemric
3. Hunter Robbins
4. Johnny VanDoorn
5. Augie Grill
6. Ross Kenseth
7. Preston Peltier
8. Chad Finley
9. Trey Mitchell
10. Donnie Wilson
11. Eddie Van Meter
12. Stephen Nasse
13. Cody Coughlin
14. T.J. Reaid
15. Mark Kraus
16. Erik Jones
17. Kyle Benjamin
18. Joseph Meyer
19. Eddie Hoffman
20. Bubba Pollard
21. Mason Mingus
22. Anderson Bowen
23. Tyler Speer
24. Jordan Sims
25. Willie Allen
26. Allen Karnes
27. Austin Theriault
28. John Hunter Nemechek
29. Casey Roderick
30. Spencer Davis
31. Stacey Crain
32. Johnny Brazier
33. Michael House
34. Dennis Schoenfeld
35. Mike Garvey
36. Lonnie Sommerville
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