CORDELE, Ga. — NASCAR star Chase Elliott will make his first SpeedFest start since 2015 this weekend.
The feature race will take place on January 28 with four other divisions of cars also on track at Watermelon Capital Speedway.
The 2020 NASCAR Cup Series champion made six straight starts at the popular event from 2010-’15. The first two were at Lanier Speedway, where he claimed one win. Elliott then claimed the last two SpeedFest starts he made, taking the trophies in 2014-’15.
“I always enjoyed racing at SpeedFest and we’ve had lots of success through the years,” said Elliott. “It has been fun trying different types of racing the last couple years, including rallycross, sprint, and midget cars, but I look forward to getting back to my late model roots for a change.”
For Elliott, the short track late model start is a rare one, after being so dominant as a young driver gaining experience on his way to the Cup ranks. His resume is impressive, taking two Snowball Derby wins, three Snowflake wins, a Winchester 400 victory, a World Crown victory, and an All American 400 title in addition to all his SpeedFest victories.
Elliott joins several other drivers who come from the NASCAR ranks including local favorite David Ragan, a long-time Cup Series competitor. Others include NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series racers Carson Hocevar, Corey Heim, and Jake Garcia.