Someone dust off the trophy case at the Elliott household. Add another shelf. Knock down a wall.Chase Elliott’s collection of hardware, a vast majority boasting Pensacola roots, got heavier with another Allen Turner Hyundai Snowflake 100 win Saturday night at Five Flags Speedway.

“This means a lot to me,� said the Dawsonvile, Ga., native and son of NASCAR legend Bill Elliott. “My guys work hard year after year.�

The recently-turned 17 year old and his team are a machine built for winning, seemingly stronger than their No. 9 Pro Late Model that revs under Elliott.

Elliott captured his second ’Flake in three years, easily beating runner-up Mike Garvey and third-place Kyle Benjamin to the checkered flag. Johanna Long finished seventh while daddy Donald Long’s troubles placed him 31st in the 36-car field.

It marks Elliott’s third trip to Victory Lane in three years at Pensacola’s high banks after his historic win at last year’s Snowball Derby.

Elliott hopes to add another page in his bursting record book at 2 p.m. Sunday when 36 Super Late Models line up for the 45th running of the Snowball Derby.

No driver has swept the ’Flake and short-track racing’s most prestigious race in the same year.

“I know we’ve got a team capable of winning tomorrow,� Elliott said.

That seems to be short-track racing’s most prestigious understatement.

Elliott led twice Saturday for a total of 52 laps, including the final 47. Justin South, who sat on the pole (16.905 seconds) after qualifying ahead of Elliott and Benjamin’s dual 16.978, was the only other leader.

Elliott is so proficient in all phases of his game, but his restarts proved to be once again a major advantage Saturday.

It was a vital part of his repertoire down the stretch, as the race saw eight total cautions, five coming in the last 10 laps.

“It’s pretty much a fact, anytime we’re out front, the cautions are gonna come out,� Elliott said. “We were fortunate to stay out front.�

Time after time, he owned the unsuspecting victim on the outside groove, most notably Benjamin. Class was in session for the 15 year old, who is homeschooled back in South Carolina.

“I learned a lot,� Benjamin admitted. “(Elliott) kind of caught me off guard. It’s good to race against somebody like Chase and learn a few things.�

Elliott steered the bus Saturday on the entire field. He deftly maneuvered through lapped traffic, avoiding looming pitfalls with an effortless turn of the wheel.

Elliott’s experience belies his youth. He navigates the famed half-mile asphalt oval as if he has been driving on it since his first Big Wheel.

“I don’t know about being a veteran,� Elliott said. “I’ve still got a lot to learn.�

Tell that to his counterparts. They’ll need some convincing to swallow that bit of honey.

“Chase was fast,� Garvey said. “We were biding our time and all of a sudden the car was tight. But that’s no excuse. Chase was better.�

What else is new? It has become one of life’s certainties.

Death, taxes and Chase Elliott leaving Pensacola with hardware on Snowball Derby weekend.

And the weekend isn’t over.

 

ALLEN TURNER HYUNDAI SNOWFLAKE 100

OFFICIAL RESULTS

1	9	Chase Elliott	100
2	1	Mike Garvey	100
3	71	Kyle Benjamin	100
4	29 T	Austin Theriault	100
5	4 J	Erik Jones	100
6	12	Brandon McReynolds	100
7	11	Johanna Long	100
8	41	Chris Davidson	100
9	6 L	Austin Luedtke	100
10	22	Augie Grill	100
11	1 C	Cody Coughlin	100
12	29	Anderson Bowen	100
13	4P	Kyle Plott	100
14	83	Scotty Ellis	100
15	112	Kenzie Ruston	100
16	29	Spencer Davis	100
17	43	Justin South	100
18	5	Chase Miller	100
19	33	Weston Griffith Jr	100
20	91	Zachary Hausler	100
21	14	Corey Deuser	99
22	3	Brandon Kelley	99
23	88	Garrett Jones	99
24	66	Korey Ruble	94
25	81	Brandon Odom	94
26	77	Bryan Silas	92
27	96	Benjamin Kennedy	91
28	99	Wayne Niedecken Jr.	91
29	45	Dwayne Buggay	91
30	36 B	Rodney Benefield	82
31	4 L	Donald Long	66
32	98	Russell Fleeman	24
33	2	Matt Smith	23
34	54	Daniel Hemric	23
35	121	Joseph Meyers	23
36	64	David Jones	19