Chase Elliott urges support for his uncle Ernie ahead of NASCAR Hall of Fame vote -

At the end of a scheduled media availability on Saturday at Watkins Glen, Hendrick Motorsports driver Chase Elliott interjected as the press conference was being wrapped up, and requested some time to speak about the NASCAR Hall of Fame voting that is set to take place later this month. It wasn’t in response to a question, but a deliberate statement he wanted to make in front of the assembled media.

Elliott voiced his support for his uncle, Ernie Elliott, to join the Hall in 2027, offering a heartfelt plea for why he should be among those selected for the 2027 class. NASCAR’s Most Popular Driver also urged fans to rally behind the former engine builder and crew chief, and made sure the fans knew how they could vote as well (HERE).

Elliott’s father Bill already entered the NASCAR Hall of Fame in 2025, but Ernie remains among the pool of nominees yet to be chosen.

Chase’s speech on behalf of Ernie Elliott

Chase Elliott, Hendrick Motorsports

“I know there’s a lot of very deserving names that are on the ballot and nominated,” began Elliott at the end of his press conference. The soft-spoken driver isn’t one to give such an impassioned speech, but it was clear this topic means a lot to him.

“I know some of you guys in the room are probably on the panel and vote and all those things. I’m not sure if a lot of the fans know this, but they also account for a vote, as well, from a fan vote online. I think it’s important for people to talk about that. I would be remiss to not talk about my Uncle Ernie who was nominated and on the ballot.

“I don’t talk about stuff like this a lot, but you don’t have to dig very far into the Elliott racing story to recognize, one, how much of a family effort it was, how much of a team effort it was. I don’t think you would find anybody in the group that would tell you the story has the same ending today throughout the course of the 80s, even leading into my career, that looks the same without Uncle Ernie and what he meant to all of us. I think from my perspective, he means a lot to me personally. He’s meant a lot to my career. He was building engines for our race cars, racing super late model races and all those things. So I’m just very grateful for him. I’m biased, but I wanted to at least just express how much of an important role he had on my dad’s career. The things and the success that they had, I don’t think it would have been the same without him, and I don’t know that everybody totally understands that. I get to have a lot of really cool conversations with him on Mondays, Tuesdays and Wednesdays throughout the week about things he was doing to the ‘85 Winston Million engine or the ‘87 Daytona 500 engine that you guys will never hear. And I take those things for granted, but I think they would blow your mind. The ingenuity and the things that he brought to the table for them was really second to none.

“And again, there are a lot of very, very deserving names on the list that will get in and should get in, whether it be this year or another year down the road. But certainly I feel that he is one of the very deserving names on the list and one that doesn’t get talked about enough for the credit that he deserves. Yeah, it meant a lot to me. I appreciate his support throughout the years and wishing him the best on that.”

A historic career

Ernie Elliott and Bill Elliott

As Chase touched on, Ernie Elliott was integral to the success of the Elliott family on the track. He worked alongside Bill as his crew chief for 279 races, collecting 39 poles and 33 race wins. Together, they earned two victories in both the Daytona 500 (1985, 1987) and Southern 500 (1985, 1988), won the first edition of the Winston Million in 1985, and of course, the 1988 NASCAR Cup Series title.

He earned even more success as an engine builder, and was named Engine Builder of the Decade for the 1980s. Bill’s historic 212.809mph lap at Talladega in 1987 would not have been possible without his brother’s work behind the scenes.

And as Chase himself pointed out, Ernie also helped him in his early years as he got started with his racing career.

When is the vote and who are the nominees?

Voting for the 2027 NASCAR Hall of Fame class takes place on Tuesday, May 19th.

The NASCAR Hall of Fame Voting Panel will meet to decide which three names from the list of nominees will enter the NASCAR Hall next year, as well as the recipient of the coveted Landmark Award for Outstanding Contributions to NASCAR.

Two individuals will get in as part of the Modern Ballot, and a third via the Pioneer Ballot.

This is who Ernie is up against in the Modern Era Ballot: Kevin Harvick, Greg Biffle, Ray Elder, Neil Bonnett, Jeff Burton, Jack Sprague, Tim Brewer, Randy Dorton, and Randy LaJoie.

The Pioneer Ballot nominees include: Ray Fox, Harry Hyde, Banjo Matthews, Herb Nab, and Larry Phillips.