NASCAR’s most popular driver, Chase Elliott, may have made headlines at the 2025 Super Bowl when the NFL honored him with a stadium-wide display that read “Chase Elliott, 2020 NASCAR Cup Series Champion.” Still, it’s not just football that truly captures the Georgians’ sporting passion off the track.
While Elliott publicly backed the Philadelphia Eagles before their championship victory, predicting that Jalen Hurts—”a stand-up leader and individual“—would lead his team to glory, his deepest sports allegiance also lies somewhere else: with the Atlanta Braves. This crossover appeal has made Elliott the perfect ambassador for NASCAR’s expanding promotional efforts across major American sports.
As Chase Elliott travels America’s racetracks promoting the historic MLB Speedway Classic, he’s uncovered something unexpected. When fans approach him at speedways from Daytona to Sonoma, conversations often drift from horsepower and pit strategies to baseball, specifically, to the Atlanta Braves. The seven-time Most Popular Driver has discovered a mysterious national connection between racing enthusiasts and Braves fans that extends far beyond what anyone would expect from a regional team based in Georgia.
“Thanks for having me again, I am a huge baseball fan, big Braves fan as you know, and excited to help promote the speedway classic at Bristol, here in August,” Elliott said, expressing his fandom during his media tour. When reminded that he’s from Dawsonville, Georgia, right in Braves territory, Chase Elliott pointed out the team’s wider appeal.
“No, it’s not [just Georgia],” Elliott said when told the Southeast is Braves country. “And at least in my experience in growing up think a lot has to do with the TBS coverage and back in the day, a lot of people couldn’t, you couldn’t watch other teams right so everyone was watching the Braves.”
The racing star shared his amazement at finding Braves fans everywhere: “I meet a lot of people across the country that are huge fans just because of that reason alone and you know certainly around home hometown team, you get it a lot but I have always been surprised travelling and you know we get to see a lot of the country just how many people you’d never expect just random areas that are huge Braves fans too and always express that to me. So yea pretty cool.”
This widespread Braves following happened because TBS broadcast their games nationally from 1973 to 2007, creating fans far beyond Georgia. On April 24, 2025, Chase Elliott spent a busy day in New York City, appearing on FOX & Friends, MLB Network, and other shows to talk about racing and the upcoming baseball game at Bristol.
“It’s going to be a big deal having a major league baseball game inside Bristol Motor Speedway later this summer,” Elliott told FOX & Friends. “I’m a big Braves fan, so I can’t wait.”
Elliott loves the Braves deeply. Born just after Atlanta’s 1995 World Series win, his favorite memory came in 2021 when he went to all three World Series games in Atlanta. After racing in Virginia, Elliott was heading home but changed his plans when Adam Duvall hit a grand slam in Game 5. “They hit the home run, and I was like, ‘Oh, they’re gonna win this thing tonight. I have to go,’” Elliott remembered. “It was amazing. One of the greatest sporting events I’ve ever been to.”
The MLB Speedway Classic will be a historic first—the first MLB game ever played in Tennessee. Bristol Motor Speedway, which once hosted a college football game with a record crowd of 156,990 fans, will now welcome baseball fans to see two of MLB’s fastest players.
Cincinnati’s Elly De La Cruz, who stole 67 bases last season and ran around the bases in just 14.96 seconds (about as fast as NASCAR cars lap Bristol), will face the Braves’ Ronald Acuña Jr., who should be back from his knee injury by then. “Acuna’s been a blast to watch,” Elliott said. “I’m sure he’ll come back hot and ready to get back after it.”
Elliott has also gotten to know Braves legends like Chipper Jones. “He was an animal, and it was so cool for him to spend his entire career in Atlanta,” Chase Elliott said about Jones, who is also helping promote the baseball game at Bristol.
When baseball comes to Bristol on August 2, the connection Elliott pointed out between NASCAR and Braves fans will come full circle. Two passionate fan groups will unite, showing that a simple TV decision years ago created baseball fans in places nobody expected.
Elliott’s Highway Pet Peeve
When asked about driving on public highways, Elliott revealed his biggest frustration with everyday drivers. “You know, fortunately for me, I can get it out on the weekends, but I will say that I have been prone to getting frustrated on the highway, too,” Elliott confessed with a wide chuckle when asked about slow drivers in the left lane.
His message to these drivers was simple and direct: “I mean if you’re stacking up the left lane, it’s like just be courteous and get out of the way. It’s not. You wanna go slow? That’s fine, that’s right.”
The 29-year-old Hendrick Motorsports driver, who stands at 5th in the NASCAR Cup Series rankings, hasn’t scored a victory since winning at Texas Motor Speedway. With a 36-race winless streak, Elliott faces the Jack Link’s 500 at Talladega Superspeedway with high expectations. Despite fans claiming “Elliott has totally lost the fire in him to embrace a win,” the driver himself remains unfazed by the criticism of his performance with the Next Gen car, stating, “I don’t necessarily find it frustrating.”
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