Chase Elliott, at age 18, became the world's youngest racer to win a national NASCAR series title Saturday.
"This race a year ago, we had no plans of racing Nationwide this season and was uncertain what our future was going to be," Elliott said to The Associated Press. "It truly has been a dream come true for me to even be competing this season."
Elliot graduated high school in May, and his mother made him balance his school work with racing, reports AP. At this time last year the teen had no prospects for a full-time ride in any NASCAR top series races. Elliot didn't even complete his deal until January to drive a Nationwide car for JR Motorsports.
Elliot's success this weekend is allowing him to follow in the footsteps of his father, Bill Elliot, who is a 2015 Hall of Fame inductee.
"This certainly has not set in for me, by any means. I am going to enjoy every bit of it until the green flag at Daytona (in February)," Elliott tells AP. "This is a dream come true for me."
Before Elliot's record-breaking race on Saturday at Phoenix International Raceway the title was held by 20-year-old Brian Vickers, who claimed the Nationwide title in 2003, reports AP.
The Elliots are the fifth father-son-duo to clench NASCAR series championships. Saturday's victory puts them after Lee Petty and Richard Petty, Ned Jarrett and Dale Jarrett, David Pearson and Larry Pearson, and Dale Earnhardt and Dale Earnhardt Jr, according to AP reports.
