Quick, you have to construct your all-time NASCAR team consisting of only four drivers. Who are you picking? It's a tough ask, especially if you've been watching the sport for a long time. Do you go all old school? All modern era? A mix of the two? In the 70 years that NASCAR has been around, there have been dozens and dozens of iconic NASCAR drivers who have left an indelible mark on the sport. So, if you were forced to pick just four, you'd probably be leaving out a couple of your favorites and a host of legends. With all that in mind, props to Chase Elliott for giving it the old college try.
For a video put out by NASCAR back in 2018, Elliott — along with fellow Chevrolet drivers Austin Dillon, Kasey Kahne, Jamie McMurray, and Ryan Newman — picked the four members of his hypothetical NASCAR dream team. Obviously, he had to pick his dad, NASCAR Hall of Famer Bill Elliott. But, who were the other three? I have to say, Elliott did a pretty solid job here, given the parameters.
Jimmie Johnson was another obvious pick for Elliott, as the seven-time champ was essentially his mentor at Hendrick Motorsports. Darrell Waltrip was another solid edition, given his penchant for short track racing and Elliott's own talents in that regard. To round it out, the Dawsonville, Georgia native went with Davey Allison, the legendary member of The Alabama Gang whose untimely death from a helicopter crash in 1993 is one of the greatest tragedies in NASCAR history.
Aside from Jamie McMurray, who didn't even attempt to craft a dream team, the showings from the rest of the drivers were pretty solid. Austin Dillon went the NASCAR Cup Series champion route, picking Dale Earnhardt, Richard Petty, Jimmie Johnson, and Cale Yarborough, who have 24 titles between the four of them. Kasey Kahne had to give a nod to NASCAR's GOAT with the Dale Sr. pick, but the other three selections seemed more based in friendship than career accolades, as he went with Chase Elliott, Kevin Harvick, and Ryan Blaney. Ryan Newman probably had the most interesting team of the bunch, opting for Kyle Larson, A.J. Foyt, Mario Andretti, and Tony Stewart. Mario Andretti in a NASCAR dream team? Hey, I guess that's why "dream" is the operative word here.
