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WATCH: NASCAR driver Chase Elliott reveals he watched Kirby Smart speech ‘on repeat’ before winning first career race
By Jake Rill
Published:
“The pressure is really a privilege.”
That was a key phrase used by Georgia coach Kirby Smart during his comments at SEC Media Days last month, when he discussed the high expectations for the Bulldogs entering the 2018 season.
Those comments resonated with NASCAR driver Chase Elliott, who watched Smart’s speech “on repeat” on Sunday morning before the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series race at Watkins Glen International.
Then, Elliott won his first career Cup Series race.
“It’s funny, this morning, I woke up and watched the video,” Elliott said in Victory Lane after the race. “Kirby Smart had a speech about pressure is a privilege. I had that on repeat this morning on the bus, just thinking about it. I thought we had a chance today and I wanted to make sure that if we were in a position to capitalize, we did.”
Here’s a video of Elliott’s comments after the race, courtesy of Sandra Golden of 680 The Fan:
Coach Kirby Smart getting credit from Chase Elliott for pre game message & the win today @KirbySmartUGA @chaseelliott @680TheFan @BFinn86 @steakshapiro ?#Dawgs pic.twitter.com/NcReytX6nr
— Sandra Golden (@sportsandra) August 5, 2018
It was Elliott’s 99th career race since first competing in the Cup Series in 2015. He is the son of NASCAR Hall of Famer Bill Elliott.
It’s not too surprising that Elliott is a fan of Smart, as the 22-year-old is a native of Dawsonville, Ga.
Jake Rill contributes to news coverage for Saturday Down South. He has covered the SEC since 2016.
