The “Desi9n to Drive” program from the Chase Elliott Foundation is back for its eighth year and will be highlighted at Atlanta Motor Speedway next month.
Elliott will wear a firesuit and drive a NAPA No. 9 car designed by 11-year-old Gavyn Giansiracusa and 13-year-old Logano Lee, patients at the Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta. Giansiracusa was diagnosed with a brain tumor in 2022. His portion of the design is on the car and Elliott’s shoes and shows his interest for music, fireworks and cake, as well as a fighter jet as a shared passion with Elliott for flying.
Lee was diagnosed with Leukemia in 2023 and is now cancer free. His portion of the design – on Elliott’s firesuit and helmet – features music, fireworks and cake in a red, white and blue theme.
Following the September 8 race, parts of Elliott’s uniform will be offered to race fans in an online sweepstakes fundraiser. A VIP race day meet and greet with Elliott will also be offered. Some of the donations will benefit Aflac Cancer and Blood Disorders Center (of Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta).
“The joy for me has been having these kids and their families out at the racetrack,” Elliott told RACER. “To bring 30 minutes or an hour of joy [to them] is a good thing, and I’ve enjoyed being a part of that with them.”
Giansiracusa and Lee will be honorary members of Elliott’s team at Atlanta Motor Speedway.
“Every year is a little different,” Elliott said of the experience at the racetrack. “We’ve had kids in the past that either they or their families followed racing. The age range has varied, so it depends on what their interests are at the time. But they have always genuinely really enjoyed the experience, and we’ve tried to make that special for them each year, and try to do it better each year, too.”
NAPA will have its name on Elliott’s car for the Atlanta race but gives up its paint scheme for the program. Elliott is involved in the process, picking the design winners after the submissions have been narrowed down.
“It’s so hard because they’re all good and no matter what it looks like, it’s all going to look cool on the car,” Ellott said. “But Gavyn and Logano this year did a good job, and centered this year’s theme around celebration for one trying to beat a tumor and the other cancer. It’s just fun to be a part of and see their imaginations come to life and see it on a car. They’ve been through a lot and hopefully are nearing the end of that road.”
Over the last seven years, the program has raised over $400,000 for Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta. The campaign not only coincides with Childhood Cancer and Sickle Cell Disease Awareness month (September), but the opening of a new state-of-the-art pediatric hospital in Atlanta that will be one of the largest children’s hospitals in the country.
“We’ve had a lot of great fan engagement that has contributed, a lot of partnership matching that has gone between our partners and my personal associates,” Elliott said. “We want to keep that growing and we have every intention to do so, and hopefully this year will be as big as we’ve ever done it. We’re doing items a little different this year with the online sweepstakes and everything will be up for grabs. So, basically everything I’m wearing aside from the car.
“The car has come back in pieces a lot. It seems like every time we do this, I crash. With Atlanta being a superspeedway, I’d say the odds are high of that again, too. So, we’ll see. But certainly, the rest of it people can get involved with through my website.”