Chase Elliott lives out dream, pays homage to Alan Kulwicki after first win with Hooters

Today was a big day for Chase Elliott in many ways. He broke his winless streak and he did it in the Hooters No. 9 Chevy Camaro. Elliott was then able to participate in a NASCAR tradition, a Polish victory lap.

Started by Alan Kulwicki at Phoenix in 1988, the move has become iconic in the sport. A simple reverse lap so the driver can wave to the fans waiting in the stands. Many have done it, but not quite like Chase Elliott.

Kulwicki was also known for his iconic Hooters No. 7 car. The same sponsor Elliott had on his car today in Texas. With the wave of the checkered flag, Elliott not only snapped the streak, but got an opportunity to do something extra special – live out a dream.

“It couldn’t feel any better,” Elliott said after the win. “First off thanks to everybody that came out you guys are unbelievable. What a… Hooters has been a partner of ours for a number of years now and it’s been a dream of mine to pay respect to the late Alan Kulwicki and driving this car to a victory and being able to do a Polish victory lap and just really crazy how things came full circle there in that moment it was pretty emotional for me.

“You know, he beat Dad back in the day and here we are sharing his sponsor and having an opportunity to win today. Just couldn’t be more grateful for this journey and kind of the path, it hasn’t always been fun but certainly enjoyed working with our guys. We’ve been just working really hard and really well together and like I said, hasn’t always been fun but we’ve enjoyed the fight together.”

The somewhat emotional, and very relieved, Chase Elliott showed why he’s NASCAR’s most popular driver. He understands the history of the sport, never misses a chance to thank the fans, and most of all, he wins races.

It is the first win for Hooters in NASCAR since 1992, the year Kulwicki won the championship.

Chase Elliott wins at ‘sketchy’ Texas Motor Speedway

It was a hot and slick day at the track. This weekend the Truck Series and Xfinity Series showed just how tricky the track could be. Jimmie Johnson and Kyle Busch both spun and wrecked in practice on Saturday.

Things did not improve on the track during the race today. It was hard to keep your car under you. The bumpy asphalt in Turns 3 and 4 gave drivers fits, especially with ill-handling cars. Chase Elliott was able to conquer it and find the speed he needed to get to the front.

“It was just crazy,” Elliott said about the race. “This place is just so sketchy and I haven’t seen a replay of Denny and us, I don’t really know, I don’t feel like I did anything super crazy there anymore than anybody’s ever done to me. Just had the run forward and I want to look at it but I don’t feel like I did anything to crash him, I think just the circumstances. But nonetheless apologies to him if so.”

"It's been a dream of mine to pay respect to Alan Kulwicki."- Chase Elliott after his Texas win pic.twitter.com/dNE4ySz2hu

— FOX: NASCAR (@NASCARONFOX) April 14, 2024

Denny Hamlin did spin out on one of the last restarts. A racing incident, nothing more. Chase Elliott still reached out the olive branch before this turned into a whole thing. What a day for Elliott and what a day for NASCAR.