Allison Legacy Series Photo
Ethan Elder won the 2024 Allison Legacy Race Series Championship, becoming only the second driver in history to win multiple titles.
Elder, a native of Cary, NC and the 2020 series champion, was crowned this season’s champion after he topped Matthew Davey by a mere 10 points in the standings. Elder now joins Chad McCumbee (2001 and 2002) as the only other driver to win multiple championships in the Allison Legacy Race Series.
“To be one of only two drivers to ever do it is honestly pretty surprising given the talent that has come through the series over so many years,” Elder said. “A solid portion of today’s NASCAR field has participated in this series in one way or another. So, to be the second person to ever do it is really exciting!
“This second championship is really special. I got married and have been blessed to enjoy such a moment with my wife. It is also my first championship since I became a Christian in 2022. So, all that combined has made being a two-time champion just that much sweeter!”
Elder won seven races this season, and he finished inside the top-five in all but two races. His first win of the season came at Florence Motor Speedway back in June. He outran Davey to secure the victory; however, it was Davey who won the following race at Dillon Motor Speedway in July.
“I think the biggest thing I’ve learned is that slow is smooth and smooth is fast,” Elder said. “I’ve really learned to be more patient behind the wheel. Racing is a process and it’s easy to think in the moment that you can easily pass someone, but I see passing someone as a three-lap process. There is the moment that you catch them, then there is the research lap to figure out where you are faster and finally, there is the action lap where you start to or make the move on them. The process takes quite a bit of patience, and it can be hard to do in races with a shorter amount of laps.”
In August, Elder earned his second win of the season on North Carolina’s Crystal Coast at Carteret County Speedway. At Orange County Speedway in September, it was once again Elder and Davey battling for the win with Elder capturing the checkered flag. The victory marked the beginning of a five-race winning streak as he went on to also visit Victory Lane at New River All-American Speedway, Orange County Speedway, Caraway Speedway and Hickory Motor Speedway.
“Extremely proud of the effort,” Elder said. “Not that I contributed much other than holding the steering wheel. I live in Raleigh and the car is in Charlotte, so I don’t actually get to see it other than when it is at the racetrack. It’s cliche, but races are won in the shop. I can’t thank Steven Christopher Woods, “Woody”, for all of his little to no sleep nights during the racing season and the off season getting not only my car set up to be competitive every single weekend but also my other two to three teammates’ cars as well. Really proud of our effort and extremely thankful to be part of the world’s best team!”
Elder is now in the process of figuring out his 2025 plans. The newly wed now has more responsibilities, but racing is still a priority. He’d like to move up to a Super Truck or Late Model, but he may continue to race in the Allison Legacy Race Series.
“I’ve made so many friends in the Allison Legacy Race Series that I find it difficult to imagine racing anything else right now,” Elder said. “I’m incredibly thankful for the Allison family’s time and effort. It takes a lot to run a race team and so much more to run an entire series. They put in so much work to make sure that we can compete on a variety of fun and challenging racetracks.
“The Allisons make sure that we can get a chance to compete in front of bigger crowds, like when we raced alongside the CARS Tour this season. But even with all the stress that running an entire series can bring, they’re really awesome people, super down to earth and a ton of fun to talk with. It has been really cool to talk with NASCAR Hall of Famer Donnie Allison and learn from him to develop my racing skills.”
The Allison Legacy Series saw five winners throughout the 2024 season. In addition to Elder visiting Victory Lane on seven occasions, Andon Mendenhall (Browns Summit, NC) and Justin Oplinger (Sherrills Ford, NC) won two races each, while Matthew Davey (Cornelius, NC) and Ryan Todd (Loris, SC) each won a race.
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