“I guess if I were to get a speeding ticket, that would be the day to do it.”

That was Chase Elliott’s response after finding out that Sen. Steve Gooch and state Rep. Will Wade passed ‘Chase Elliott Day’ to be celebrated on Feb. 9, 2021.

The announcement was made at an awards banquet for Chase Elliott hosted by the Georgia Racing Hall of Fame to present Elliott with his championship ring and Goodyear Golden Car for winning the 2020 Nascar Cup Series Championship. 

The awards banquet was also perfect timing for the Georgia Racing Hall of Fame’s re-opening with several new exhibits, including a special exhibit to honor Elliott’s championship. 

“There are things at the exhibit that are literally part of things that I put aside and kept from some of my favorite moments over the years that I thought would be cool to be here and be shown,” Elliott said. “This is way more than Dad and I, though. There’s a lot of things that people need to see.” 

Cindy Elliott opened the evening, thanking all the local volunteers that helped get the GRHOF ready to host the event. 

“This was such a team effort,” Cindy Elliott said. “A lot of volunteers came out in support of renovating this facility and it came out beautifully.”

Nascar CEO Jim France then presented Elliott with his championship ring, which Elliott promptly put on for the rest of the ceremony. 

“One of the great representatives we have in our sport,” France said to Elliott. “What impressed me the most was the Hail Mary you threw in Martinsville. That was two great races in a row and that’s damn tough to do.”

Next, Goodyear CEO Rich Kramer gave Elliott his own one-twelfth scale golden replica of his number nine NAPA Auto Parts championship car. Elliott referred to the trophy as one of the “coolest” trophies in sports. 

Before the conclusion of the night, Bill Elliott came to the stage to further give recognition to NASCAR for making the trip to Dawsonville for the event and to the GRHOF for it’s part in telling the history of Nascar.

“There are a lot of great things in this room for generations to come and learn about Georgia racing,” Bill Elliott said. 

The awards presentation usually happens at the Nascar Awards Banquet but NASCAR decided to not host anything this year due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The GRHOF will officially reopen its doors to the public on Tuesday, Feb. 2 at 10 a.m, during a ribbon cutting ceremony.