NASCAR drivers know everyone wins when Elliott is racing

By STEVE REED
AP Sports Writer

MARTINSVILLE, Va. (AP) — NASCAR drivers don’t need to be reminded what Chase Elliott’s return to racing on Sunday at Martinsville Speedway means to those associated with the sport. When Elliott is racing, everyone wins. Voted NASCAR’s most popular driver the past five seasons — a title inherited after Dale Earnhardt Jr. retired — Elliott and his No. 9 Hendrick Motorsports car have become the face of the sport. When he’s competing, more stock car racing fans are watching. And when he’s not, fans seemed be tuning out in big numbers as evidence by the TV ratings numbers during his absence. It’s like stock racing’s version of the Tiger Woods effect.