Hendrick Motorsports driver Chase Elliott took center stage on Aug. 25 with the release of “Chase,” a new documentary exclusive to Peacock. The special focused on Elliott’s rise from the son of a NASCAR driver to a Cup Series champion, as well as the history of racing in Georgia.
Speaking with Heavy prior to the release of the documentary, Elliott provided details about the experience filming with Dale Earnhardt Jr. The NBC Sports analyst spent time down in Dawsonville, talking to the Hendrick Motorsports driver and those closest to him. This experience gave Earnhardt a glimpse into Elliott’s life but also helped him experience the Georgia racing community.
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“[Filming] was good. Dale and I have joked about it for a while and him coming in and having a chance to see a different part of the southeast that he’s never visited before,” Elliott told Heavy. “He’s also a really big historian of racing. And he knows a lot about where it originated and the drivers and these different eras of motorsports.
“Georgia is is a fairly racing rich environment that goes beyond my career, obviously, and my dad’s career. There’s been a lot of great racers from Georgia that he knows of. So it was fun to have experienced some of that and see some of that.”
‘Chase’ Wasn’t a Standard Sitdown Interview
Documentary with @DaleJr is out tomorrow on @peacockTV. Hope y’all enjoy #di9
While the Peacock special focused on Elliott and his career, the defending Cup Series champion didn’t simply head to a studio for a sitdown with the man that previously employed him in the Xfinity Series. Instead, Elliott and Earnhardt had an open conversation as friends while exploring Dawsonville and riding around the lake on a boat.
“What I think people enjoy most is just the interview process,” Elliott added, “and him and I talking. Because it’s more him and I having a conversation than it is an interview. I think people recognize that, and I think you’ll enjoy it more. Dale’s, you know, he does a great job with that stuff. Now, obviously, he’s transitioning to the broadcast side of things, but he’s still a friend and we can still have open conversations. This time, it was just on camera, which I think was cool.”
The trailer provided some glimpses into the interview style, showing Elliott and Earnhardt walking around and examining different stock cars from his past. There was also some talk of Hall of Famer Bill Elliott learning to wake surf, but the documentary will not feature footage of the efforts. The younger Elliott explained that it was too cold on the lake while filming and that his father would not have “been down” to show himself wake surfing.
Elliott Will Now Focus on Defending His Title
Hendrick MotorsportsChase Elliott celebrates a win.
With the documentary out and available for fans to stream, Elliott will now prepare for the most difficult part of the 2021 season. He has one race remaining before the playoffs begin, and then the real work begins.
Elliott will have to survive three rounds of cuts in order to reach the championship four at Phoenix. The Round of 16 will feature trips to Darlington Raceway, Richmond Raceway, and Bristol Motor Speedway before the field cuts to only 12 drivers.
The Round of 12 will send Elliott and his peers to Las Vegas Motor Speedway, Talladega Superspeedway, and the Charlotte Roval. Elliott won the last two playoff races at the Roval and will strive to go three-for-three while reaching the Round of Eight. This final round will be the most intense as drivers take on Texas Motor Speedway, Kansas Speedway, and Martinsville Speedway while fighting for a spot in the final four and one shot at the title.
You can see Chase compete against NASCAR’s top drivers in the Cup Series regular-season finale under the lights at Daytona International Speedway this Saturday night, August 28, at 7 p.m. ET on NBC. Pre-race coverage begins at 6 p.m. ET on NBCSN.
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Chase Elliott Dives Deep Into Filming ‘Chase’ Documentary