The Chase Elliott Foundation is pleased to announce it has joined forces with NAPA AUTO PARTS and Hendrick Motorsports to greatly expand the fifth edition of its “DESI9N TO DRIVE” art collaboration with Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta (Children’s) to include a full design makeover of Chase Elliott’s driver uniform and No. 9 race car for the upcoming NASCAR Cup Series race at Darlington Raceway on September 5.
Sketched designs by Children’s cancer patients will be depicted on Elliott’s racing suit, gloves, shoes and helmet in addition to a full paint out of the No. 9 NAPA AUTO PARTS Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 1LE. Plus, similar to previous DESI9N TO DRIVE collaborations, the Alpinestars racing shoes of Elliott’s three Hendrick Motorsports teammates—Kyle Larson, William Byron and Alex Bowman—will also feature one-of-a-kind sketched designs by Children’s patients.
“NAPA AUTO PARTS and Hendrick Motorsports stepped up in a big way to make DESI9N TO DRIVE the overall team theme for Darlington.” said Elliott, a Dawsonville, Ga. native and the defending 2020 NASCAR Cup Series Champion. “It’s a really cool way to showcase the great work that Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta does for the children in the region. Our hope is the expanded program will capture more attention to what Children’s is doing with cancer treatment and result in our biggest fundraising campaign in the five years we’ve been doing this program.”
The adapted designs were submitted by eight patients at the Aflac Cancer and Blood Disorders Center of Children’s in Atlanta, Ga., ranging in age from six to 15 years old.
- 9 car paint scheme– Mary Francis Webb, age 15
- Chase Elliott helmet – Rocco Corsini, age 10
- Chase Elliott racing suit– Isadri Hernandez, age 14
- Chase Elliott gloves– Briley Lamon, age 10
- Chase Elliott racing shoes– Nolan Madsen, age 11
- Kyle Larson racing shoes– Lex Stolle, age 12
- Alex Bowman racing shoes– Elise Sullens, age 8
- William Byron racing shoes– Branson Gibby, age 6
The first designed element to be released is the paint scheme of the No. 9 NAPA AUTO PARTS Chevy race car designed by 15-year-old Mary Francis Webb from Athens, Ga. Images of the other designed elements will be released prior to Darlington race weekend via social media.
“We are so excited and grateful that the Chase Elliott Foundation has expanded the DESI9N TO DRIVE art collaboration to showcase the creativity and strength of our kids receiving treatment at the Aflac Cancer and Blood Disorders Center of Children’s,” said Beth Buursema, senior development director at the Children’s Foundation. “As one of the largest pediatric cancer and blood disorder programs in the country, we care for more than 8,000 pediatric patients every year from 43 states across the U.S. This continued collaboration will bring hope to those patients while furthering our mission of making kids better today and healthier tomorrow.”
The DESI9N TO DRIVE program has raised and donated over $160,000 to Children’s from the auction of autographed racing shoes and corporate partner support in its first four years.
Several of the items will be auctioned off via The NASCAR Foundation’s auction page on eBay (LINK) beginning Sept. 2, three days before the Darlington race, and closing on Sept. 8. Each of the items will include an authenticated autograph of the respective driver prior to delivery to the winning bidder.
All auction proceeds go to the Chase Elliott Foundation to benefit the Aflac Cancer and Blood Disorders Center of Children’s as September is designated as National Childhood Cancer Awareness Month.
“It’s an honor to support Children’s and celebrate its incredible kids,” said Kevin Herron, president, U.S. Automotive, Genuine Parts Company. “We are fortunate to have a world class children’s hospital in our community that is a huge benefit to our city and to our NAPA AUTO PARTS family.”
ABOUT CHASE ELLIOTT FOUNDATION
The Chase Elliott Foundation is a non-profit organization dedicated to providing support and financial assistance to well-qualified charitable organizations with an emphasis on helping others live healthier, happier lives. Chase Elliott is the driver of the No. 9 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 1LE for Hendrick Motorsports in the NASCAR Cup Series. Elliott is the 2020 NASCAR Cup Series Champion and was voted the NASCAR Cup Series’ Most Popular Driver the last three seasons. Visit www.chaseelliott.com/foundation for more information.
