For most, it's hard to believe a young boy would know his life's plan at 12 years old. It becomes easy to believe once you realize that boy is 12-year-old Chase Elliott, son of NASCAR champion Bill Elliott.

Wise beyond his maturity level, Chase already has his own championship. He speaks in sound bites like an experienced Cup driver and has secured a popular full-time sponsor for next season.

He's a young replicate of his father.

A young Chase peeks into his dad's car back when Bill was racing full time.

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I've been around the sport since I was born. I'd rather not do anything else. I want to be with my dad and be a part of the tradition.

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CHASE ELLIOTT

"Chase wants to be everything that Bill is and more," said Cindy Elliott, Chase's mother. "They are basically inseparable. Bill has truly been Chase's hero since he was a little boy."

Cindy said it's a unique father-and-son bond formed when Chase was an infant and Bill was recovering from a major injury sustained during the 1996 wreck at Talladega Superspeedway. The back end of Elliott's car went in the air and landed violently on its wheels. Elliott suffered a fractured femur and was forced to sit out of several races during the season.

"When Bill got hurt, he was laid up on the couch a lot," Cindy said. "Chase was only 4 or 5 months old and would sleep on Bill's chest for hours. I knew they were fine and I could get things done around the house. I think it was here that they bonded, because once Bill was better he insisted on taking Chase everywhere he went."

Including the racetrack, Cindy said.

And it was at a racetrack that Chase realized his plan to follow his father's footsteps. Of course his mother says Chase has wanted to be a racecar driver "since he could talk" and he would tell you himself.

But his memory of the 2002 Allstate 400 at the Brickyard cemented the dream.

"That was they year my dad won the race, I was 7 years old. It's was awesome. We kissed the bricks and I remember it was really hot that day," Chase said.

The following year he began racing at various dirt tracks across his home state of Georgia.

By 2006, Chase entered the Colorado Sprint Championship Series in both the Mini Mix and the 80cc Novice Shifter Kart divisions for his first full season of racing. He won the championship in the Mini Max in both 2006 and 2007.

In the summer of 2007, Chase was ready for the Legends Racing Series in the Bandolero Bandits division at Atlanta Motor Speedway's Thursday Thunder Series where he earned rookie of the year. In the 2007-2008 winter season, Chase moved up to the Bandolero Young Guns division and won 10 of 12 starts, capturing championships in both the AMS Winter Flurry Series and the Georgia Winter Series.

Finally last summer, Chase graduated to the Legends Semi-Pro division where he was one of the youngest competitors in the field in both the AMS Thursday Thunder Series and the Summer Shootout Series at Lowe's Motor Speedway.

He earned his first victory in the fall and went on to win the Georgia State Championship Semi-Pro title.

Chase also made his first start in the Legends Car Asphalt Nationals in October, where he was the youngest driver in the Semi-Pro field.

For his competition, Chase missed several days at Kings Ridge Christian School in Alpharetta, Ga. But it's an independent college prep school built to accommodate the needs of children with unique goals. Some students are allowed extended leaves to perform on Broadway while others practice for parts in movies.

For Chase, who is extremely focused on becoming a NASCAR driver, the school provides him with a well-rounded educational experience not found at a race shop or racetrack.

"I thought I was going to be able to convince him to be a doctor or golf pro but he is intent on becoming a driver. He's got real conviction in those eyes," Cindy said. "But now that he's focusing on driving, that allows me to focus on other aspects of his life and that is education. It's the most important thing for us right now."

Because at 18, Cindy said, her son's life could be "out of her hands."

"I've been around the sport since I was born," Chase said. "I'd rather not do anything else. I want to be with my dad and be a part of the tradition."

Last month, Chase and his family's Bill Elliott Driver Development program announced their son's 2009 plans: Chase is set to pilot the No. 9 Aaron's Lucky Dog Dream Machine Legends racecar in the Semi-Pro division.

"I feel like the lucky dog having Aaron's as my primary sponsor," Chase said. "I think it is awesome to work with the Robin Loudermilk [CEO of Aaron Rents Inc.] because they are a father-son team like my dad and me. I am looking forward to driving the No. 9 Aaron's Lucky Dog Dream Machine in 2009."

Spoken like a true NASCAR driver.

Video
• Beyond Pit Road: Chase Elliott
• Bill Elliott Driver Development