The defending NASCAR Cup Series champion is taking on ESPN. Chase Elliott will appear on ESPN’s “College GameDay” on Saturday, Sept. 4, to help preview a high-profile matchup between the Georgia Bulldogs and the Clemson Tigers.
The Georgia native will join the “College GameDay” crew alongside other special guests in Clemson head coach Dabo Swinney and Georgia head coach Kirby Smart. Elliott will make his prediction for the game, which he already teased on social media. The Hendrick Motorsports driver tweeted that he “can’t wait” to appear on the morning show before adding the Go Dawgs hashtag.
Elliott will not have to travel to his home state to preview the game. The episode of “College GameDay” will actually film in Charlotte at Romare Bearden Park. The high-profile football game will use Charlotte and Bank of America Stadium as a “neutral site” for both teams, removing the potential of a home-field advantage.
Elliott Has a Deep Love for Georgia Sports
The defending Cup Series champion grew up in Dawsonville, deep in Georgia sports country. He developed a love for the local teams, including the Atlanta Braves. Elliott has been very vocal with his support of the MLB team throughout his career, to the point that he represented them during the 2019 playoffs.
Elliott tweeted out a photo on Oct. 3, 2019, that showed a custom-made pair of Atlanta Braves racing shoes. The driver of the No. 9 revealed that he would be wearing them during the Cup Series playoff race at Talladega Superspeedway. One year later, he showed up for a Zoom session with reporters wearing a Braves hat instead of one for NAPA or his other sponsors. Elliott told “The Athletic” that “it’s the playoffs.”
Following the appearance on “College GameDay,” Elliott will actually partner with the Braves once again. He will head to Truist Park on Tuesday, Sept. 7, for a special night with Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta and the eight patients at the Aflac Cancer and Blood Disorders Center of Children’s who designed his paint scheme for the Cook Out Southern 500 at Darlington Raceway.
Elliott Will Head to South Carolina After ‘College GameDay’
While the driver of the No. 9 HMS Chevrolet will not have to travel to appear on ESPN, he will have to do so to defend his title. The first race of the Cup Series playoffs takes place in South Carolina at one of the most famous tracks.
Known as The Lady in Black, Darlington Raceway poses a unique challenge for the drivers, especially with track crews repaving a 600-foot long, 32-foot wide section of Turn 2. The drivers will not know how the cars handle the turn until they head out for the opening laps of the playoff race.
Elliott does not have a win at Darlington in his Cup Series career. He has nine starts at the track with four top-10s and two top-fives. His best finish was fourth in the first of three races at Darlington in 2020. Elliott took seventh overall earlier in the 2021 season while Martin Truex Jr. locked up his third win of the season.
While he has yet to win at Darlington, Elliott will start the race in a solid position. He will line up on the second row with Kurt Busch, behind Busch Pole winner Ryan Blaney and Denny Hamlin.
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