"That was sexy": When Tony Stewart was impressed by rookie Chase Elliott's daring move 

Chase Elliott once impressed one of his biggest heroes Tony Stewart in his rookie Cup Series season. The Hendrick Motorsports driver was never short of talent, and in the 2016 Richmond race, his move on the outside earned him big praise from a 3-time NASCAR Cup Series champion.

While Carl Edwards went to win the race, it was the Hendrick star's aggressive overtake in the first restart of the season that caught Tony Stewart's eye. The number 24 of Elliott pulled off a daring move on the outside to quickly climb the standings. He eventually finished the race in 12th position but earned 'Smoke's' respect while doing so.

Tony Stewart described the move on his radio:

"What the #24 (Chase Elliott's number then) did on the restart was sexy. That was pretty cool."

Elliott replaced Jeff Gordon in Hendrick Motorsports' #24 car after becoming the youngest-ever champion in the Xfinity Series. He also became the first rookie driver to win a championship in NASCAR Series. The HMS star also won the 2016 NASCAR Cup Series 'Rookie of the Year' award and finished a respectable 10th in the standings.

---

When Chase Elliott opened up on rooting for Tony Stewart other than his dad, Bill

It's hard to cheer for someone else if your father is racing in the NASCAR Cup Series, but Chase Elliott made an exception for Tony Stewart. Bill Elliott's son would often visit Smoke with his father during race days, and he went on to race against Stewart in his final season in the Cup Series.

Stewart talked about Elliott Jr.'s shy nature and said "he did not know Chase could talk for the first three years". However, he predicted Chase's admiration for the sport and his desire to attend races with his father and "be there".

The 3-time NASCAR champion has inspired a lot of drivers in the current generation. Ahead of the final few races of his career, Chase said about Tony Stewart: (Quotes via USA Today)

“Tony was the first guy other than my dad that I was OK pulling for. I’ve got a lot of respect for him. It’s kind of funny watching him with Kevin (Harvick’s) son Keelan. I kind of remember that, and that’s how he was with me, which is kind of cool.”

The pair have come a long way since then. While the 53-year-old just welcomed his first child with wife Leah Pruett, Chase bounced back after a disappointing few seasons in the Cup Series. Can Elliott emulate his hero and become a multiple NASCAR Cup Series champion?