Chase Elliott

what's going on with him? And Hey, how are you doing? How's your weekend? It was pretty good. It wasn't as good as yours, but it was pretty good. You went up to the mounds with the wife and had a little little little little boot time, little boot r R. Yeah, kid free, that's the that's the most important. Tell you what a kid free are? And R makes another kid on the way come that ain't that ain't happen in my g How was your weekend? What'd you get into? Yeah?

I went down, you know, I just trying to with everything going on. I'm still a little nervous hop on the airplane. Yeah, just be honest. You don't call me what you want. Uh, I called you something. I'd call myself that because I'm not getting on just a little nervous. And so I went down, drove down the Kiowa and and play some golf. Played a course it's called the Ocean's Course is actually where um uh the I think it's the Open US Open that that that's the best

part about me. I can go somewhere play means a lot to somebody else. It's just a golf course. It's just right. It's not just a golf course. It was a time for me to just kind of unplug and change the scenery. So when played this this course, the Ocean Course in Kiowa, and had an unbelievable hattie. So you have to do a caddy, have to have it was walking man. And so, um, I'm a golf cart dude myself. Yeah, you the only the only way, I guess if it was bad weather or you have a disability,

you do to do the golf card. And so we walked and my caddy was Tyler. Tyler was fired. Tyler was awesome. Helped me out end up shooting the eighty five, probably my best round ever. Just and but it's cool about it. I'm a city boy. I ain't never seen a gator walking across a fairway. I'm from the country. I ain't never seen a gator doing that. It was it was casually strolling across the the golf off the green, kind of like seeing a squirrel on the side of the road going up a tree. So he just mind

and this this is like a real live gator. It was probably about ten ninet just strolling across. I got videos your first reaction. I was like, oh look, I'm like, come on, man, like what we're supposed to do. It was pretty bad. Like I wasn't I'm not gonna say because he was far enough. I wasn't scared, because because I can outrun him. Because I was gonna say, it ain't every day that brothers just run up on an alligator like that. Don't just happen every Let me rephrase it.

You know why I wasn't scared, because all I had to do was I'll run. Tyler asked, that's it, and I was gonna get him something or Tyler, bless you, Tyler.

Tyler got to go. He Tyler wasn't married because he told me, but tell my wife that I love her because Tyler, I have a shot the food, right, so I hit um and then I hit you know, hid into a few uh water hazards and hey we all do we do gator chomping at the up at the so you get into the water and you see the gator come out of the water and it was like,

oh okay, ball gone right. That was probably I heard some bad shots, hed some good shots, but it was literally that was when your ball went into a hazard or and actually there there's no o b u huh you your ball going too a little area. Some woods chalked that up to the game because they were like grass laid down so you can see where they were going in. Man, it was it was interesting, bro. It was definitely had a good time, but it was very much um different kind of golf, but great course, man,

great on the course. Though. I still can't get over that. I mean, I just can't imagine like I hit into the bunker, I'll go into the bunk and then bam, that goes that goes a gator. Yeah, walked looked at me. What upset? What was popping home? Nothing? All right? Well, hey who is our g all right? Coming up on the Cut to It podcast. We've got Chase Elliott, the son of NASCAR legend and Hall of Famer Bill Elliott. He's a two time most Popular Driver of the Year

and he won the All Star Race in July. Chase Elliott appreciate y'all having me, absolutely absolutely so. Our first segment we call it get iced Up, the random questions. There may be a follow up, may not be a follow up, just depends on how we feel. Brother, So Smitty, when you're ready, give Chase the first question and get iced up? Okay, Chase, are you ready to get iced up? I guess I'm ready? However, Man, what color childhood bedroom? What color was my childhood bedroom? Man, I don't remember

my childhood bedroom. Is it that bad? I mean that's your childhood that's not arms? Yeah, I mean that's that's true. Uh Like it was red blue, like somewhere into into the red and blue category, somewhere in there. Okay, I'm not gonna I can't go a get your childhood colors. I mean no, I mean, I don't don't know how a man could ever go against another person's childhood memories. You know, if you said it was if you said it was like a nice rolls. Yeah. Like if it

was like like magenta, it might be a problem. Like my bedroom was magenta at at five, we might have an issue? Or do Brown? That is true, Dookie Brown, the uncle Luke Row. Okay, let's go. Let's move on. So I have heard word on the street. Is you love Wedding Crashers? Big fan? Big? All right? Hit us with one of your favorite lines from Wedding Crashers. Bang, go, favorite line from Wedding Crashes. That's like asking somebody to pick one favorite song. Um, it's just pick a line. Okay. Uh,

let's see that. There's a part where Vince Vaughan is talking about what's what's the guy's name, the older father in that in that movie, he's like a senator or something. This is your favorite movie, not mine, You've never talking about. You're talking about. I know he's given him a hard time about his daughter, you know, and he tells him, you know, she's not just a notch in the old belt. He looks at him and he says, I don't even wear a belt belt. I love that. What is something

interesting about you that most people do not know? I have? I have become quite the video game fan, which a lot of people might know that. But um, now, but that's kind of a I've always played video games, but since all this stuff has been going on, I have I have really jumped in and probably played entirely too much video games in the past six months. So I'll go ahead and be honest on that. What's what are some of those games that you have wasted countless hours on?

Countless hours? Yes, wasted is also a good a good word, um, call of duty, which I think is is yeah, absolutely fun like video games are you know, you talk about your childhood and stuff, like your parents just absolutely look down on video games so bad as a kid, right, you know, like what you're doing waste your time? And now I feel like it's funny because it seems like the amount of people who play video games that AIDS bracket is a much larger bracket of people than it

used to be. Like older guys, I feel like, are into video games more so than than they used to be. So, um, I really enjoyed it. But been a lot of fun and and yeah, a good way to stay at home, you know, and still get online and play with your buddies and and hang out. So I've, I've that's been a good outlet for me. If you had a magic wand, what would you happen? What would I make happen? How well? How often can I use? It is your wand? Brother, I can't do I can't tell you what to do

what you want, it's my wand. Man, that's tough. Um I feel like I I mean, there's a lot of things that I feel like a person would do for a wand, but you know, I might hold hold up not do for the one you already have, the one you can fix something because you don't about to go down the path that I think was I'm getting uncomfortable. Yeah, I was gonna wait three years and then foul charge and say I was not feeling very comfortable in this

kind uncomfortable today on this podcast. Um Man, that's that's tough. I I feel like, you know, how about make your car faster? Yeah? Well, I think it would depend. I mean that's what I'm saying. Like, if it's race day, absolutely we're going faster. So you know, if it's if it's across country road trip, like I want to get there now, I don't want to You went out, you went down the path of what would I do for

a one already got it? No, no, no, I'm just trying to think through what I do, you know, And I feel like that's a that's a tough thing. I feel like it's situational. I mean, if it's my one and I get to keep it, which he sounded like you just just you're just holding for a few hours. Oh well then I'm gonna I'm gonna gift myself more wanes to do that. Can't do that? Why not wishes exactly exactly. Well, let's move on. Then, let's move on. So you go by Chase, I do. How did your

folks come up with that nickname? That's a good question. Um, so my my godparents when I was little. Basically, I guess after I was born. At least the story I got, I don't really remember it, but um the story I got was that I was you know, my real name is after my dad. I'm I'm just the second, um William Elliott, the second. But she just didn't think. She just didn't think I looked like a William. So I ended up She's like, you know, he looks like Chase,

And for whatever reason, that stuck, and I don't. I don't know why, but that was a story I got that could be complete bs um, but that's the story I was told at one point in time. So I've just kind of gone with that. At this point, we're gonna talk it into reality. Okay, I like it. So you're from Dawsonville, Georgia. Yeah, that's your hometown it is. Can you walk us down memory lane? What experience experiences you had growing up in Dawsonville, Georgia. And I feel

like it's uh small town USA. I mean I feel like, uh, we've lived in in a couple of different actually a few different towns around North Georgia, but pretty much lived in North Georgia all my life minus minus a couple of years. We um my, my dad wanted to move to Colorado. There at one point when I was about about nine, I guess nine or ten. We lived there

for two years. But outside of those two years, um, heck, we've we've kind of lived all around North Georgia, And I feel like my childhood is kind of a combination of a few different towns around here. Dawsonville is certainly being one of them, and certainly where I live now just small town in USA. How many stoplights in your hometown? The original part of Dawsonville. There is no stoplight in town. None, you have you might have a stop sign, I mean you know, um, the red one. You have one of

those else would it be right? But yeah, a lot of yielding. Let's stop. We'll see. Dawsonville has grown a lot in Atlanta. Uh, those of you that have been to Atlanta, Atlanta has just absolutely blown up to the north side of the state. Um, and Dawsonville is like the very north end of the highway that runs into Atlanta. Four is the is the road. And as as Atlanta has expanded, the south side of Dawsonville has expanded. The actual downtown part of the you know, in the city limits.

You're not talking much. You're talking a stop sign and a you know, and that's really about it. A couple of restaurants and and a grocery store and and that's all she wrote. But it's uh, it's ground a lot for sure. Yeah. And there's something are you proud of, you know, looking at you know, obviously looking at your dad's stuff, Elliott family, you know that Dawsonville is very much connected to you. Guys, and so, how's your hometown

impacted and shaped you on your world views today? Well, you know, and that's a great question because I feel everybody's views can vary based on where you grow up. And sometimes that's not you know, a person's it might not be a person's choice, but it's it's what you it's what you have, it's what you see, it's the views you have put in front of you as a kid.

Uh So, I think for me, it's a very um you know, and in some ways when when you look at it from like, hey, you know, I'm I'm from North Georgia and it is small town, USA, I feel like it is a very standard southern state town and and on down the road. But I think what has made my life a little more interesting. I feel like I have been connected with a lot of different people

and a lot of different walks of life. Um from you know, following my dad around as a kid, racing and being able to travel the country now, and and the things I was able to see growing up and see the fortune that some people have and the mis fortunate to other people have. I feel like there's just been a very wide variety of people that I've been connected with UM, and I think a lot of that is you know, obviously I was fortunate to be able

to see a lot of those things. But it certainly makes you appreciate, I think, what you have a little more. And and um, I don't really know how else I would have seen that had I not had the opportunities to to branch out um and and see more, you know, from like I often think, you know, my I grew up in a in a well off family, right, so you could easily you know, go down the private school route and and be kinda viewed as as that uh in in some ways, but I don't think that tells

the full story of some people. And and because I am a private school kid, um, of what you see and what you do or what you don't appreciate. So yeah, I've just been lucky to see a lot of different walks and and I feel like appreciate, I appreciate more because of it. Because of your dad, you get a lot of people that have their, uh their point of

view of you. But also as I was digging through the research and just kind of looking and trying to figure out, you know, what is something that's really intriguing. And the one thing that keeps coming back to me, which is knowing who your dad is, Bill Elliott, and then you're twenty four years old, you're doing your thing

in NASCAR. If you can compare the two growing up being well off and having success, your dad having success in NASCAR, seeing the difference of how you know, not to travel because you're a young kid, but how the sport has evolved, you know, financially, and just how things go on compared to when your dad was killing it. And now you're in a sport being extremely successful. But it it definitely the venue and the and and the

the races are a complete event. Now that's another great point because you know, obviously my my dad and I have have similarities, but you know, the I feel like the the way that we have, the way he grew up when he was a kid, and the way that I have grown up are certainly very different. I Mean, they didn't have much um as a kid. You know, he he and his brothers and and his dad. Uh,

they you know pretty much did it all um. And NASCAR was at a place to where they could you know, build cars on their own and they could go to the junkyard down the road and and cut parts and pieces off of an old wrecked car that was driving on the street and go build a race car with it. Um, you know. And and as time evolved, obviously NASCAR grew. Uh. Dad had a long career and and was able to you know, have success over over a long period of time.

So um, I'm not sure there's many generations that have seen as much change as what he had. I mean, he's he was born in fifty five, Um, so from fifty five nine too, you know, and to still kind of to see the NASCAR world evolved through that, I'm not sure anybody will ever see uh that much change ever again, which I think is really awesome. I mean I feel like that have to be a great privilege, uh to to have seen that. But yeah, I mean from from my end, I had a much different walk.

I mean he um, his success, uh you know provided a very a very fortunate childhood for me. What age did you start driving a car? Seven? Eight? Yeah? I was, I was seven, I mean, and even from that's a good point because you know, even even from what I know, I want to so yeah, Rostonfield, they got moo shine and driving at seven years old. Come on, dog, that's right. You gotta see it to believe it, I guess, I guess. Um. Yeah,

but now there's I mean that that's pretty common. Is as not as crazy as it might seem, I guess too, um to you guys. But yeah, racing go karts and and there's a car called quarter midgets and um and things that that you can get into. A quarter midget is a much quarter size of a bigger car that you can step into down the road. Um. But yeah, the kids at five, six, seven years old racing, you know what's at that point? I mean, obviously it's not serious.

I mean it serious though, because they're behind the gas pedal. That's that's I guess. I guess relatively, you know, as as the you know, when that's serious. To me here, I am thinking I'm doing something to carouen just being behind bumper cars. Yea. How fast do these quarter mids it go? I mean they're they're not very fast. I mean probably you know, forty miles an hour or thirty he was gonna be relative. You were seven years old going forty miles an hour like that to get your

right in the school zone. You thought you thought you were flying, for sure, you thought you were hauling the mail back back then, hearing just a little bit of your voice not talking about William. Yeah, how do you as an old school you seem you don't seem like the time out generation. You seem like yo pop used

to use that belt, right, you just switch? So how how does an old school, legacy family business, second generation driver, how do they really see the eye racers or some of the racers who they're getting into racing virtually where you were pushing the car up the hill down the hill. You know, I'm I and I'm just I'm I'm being ignorant. So I'm just gonna say you're driving without gas, you know, all of that stuff, you know, getting becoming really um

a student of your car versus a student of the technology. Well, I think it's a good point because you know, I do feel like, uh with you know, my my family and kind of how I was raised around the racetrack. Uh, I was, you know, kind of pushed to be more hands on. Now I'm not sitting here trying to tell you I didn't have nothing, and I do feel like I was kinda fortunate in a new school world to have been around a lot of old school racers in in a modern time, um, and I'm very thankful for that.

I think I learned a lot of a lot of great things, right. And and to your point, you have some of these guys coming in who are who are good? Dude. But I do think that, uh, it made something. It's gonna rub some people the wrong way, UM to think that. You know, hey, this guy played video games and now he's getting opportunities at a high level. And I've been down here grinding at the short track level. Why and I've spent all this money? Why? Why is that? Why?

How is that fair? Um? And and lifeetting fair? I guess uh in in general, but it is such a different it's at such a different time. But I tried really hard to keep things simple. I try really hard to uh have a bit of a I guess old school mindset and approach in in some ways, uh in a in a modern time can be can be tough, and some people might not like that, UM, but I feel like that I've just tried to earn the respect of my competitors and my peers. And most of those

people around you are much older than than you. When when when you come along, when when I came along, and I feel like I've grown up around people who are way, way way older than me. We have to take a break and more than anything, we gotta pay some bish. You get checked. I love cut to It and I love it even more when you download us and subscribe and you can follow us on social media to Smithie where where at? That's at? Cut to It on Instagram? What about Twitter? At? Cut to It? Facebook?

Cut to It featuring Steve Smith singr? What about online? And you can follow us at cut to It podcast dot com where you can buy merch and you can subscribe to us wherever you listen to podcasts. I got all my answers questions. Um, yeah, I got all my questions answered. That's what I'm here for, a brother cut to a podcast dot com. With growing up always exposed being around NASCAR, was there ever a point where you

were turned off by it? Or maybe you didn't want to go into the quote unquote family business you know to be To be honest, I really always wanted to raise I mean I can't really think of a time that that I didn't want to do it. Um, when I first got started, you know, Obviously I was young, so at that point I knew it was more of

out of a hobby thing. When I got to be and y'all are gonna think this is stupid too, But when I got to be about twelve or thirteen, I got into full sized cars, um and started to race. And at that point, you know, yes, I was still young.

Uh that I know everything. No, Uh that I think I did some days, yes, but uh, you know, at the end of the day, I could tell um that things were getting serious and there was money being spent sponsors, you know, paying money to be on our car, and and you know, obviously we were putting a lot of effort into it. And I feel like I kind of came to this crossroads of like, hey, you know, there's

a lot going into this. I either need to really get serious and and uh go after this, or I need to not and not waste everyone's time him and go enjoy being a teenager. Um. And I do feel like I kind of came to those crossroads and where there weekends or my friends were at prom or or at you know, middle school dances, and I wish I was there a little bit. Yeah, absolutely, But at the end of the day, I reminded myself that, man, I'm getting to do things that that you know, although the

other kids don't understand it. Um, I'm getting to do things that some people could only dream of. And I just always kind of kept that in mind. And my dad had always told me, Hey, I can only get you so far, um in this deal. And you know, we either if we're good enough and we've run good enough, opportunities may come along. And if if we don't, then hey we're gonna we can go do something else. And nobody's gonna be mad at anybody for for any of it.

And he's always given me an out. You know. He never never pushed me to want to to want to race it. He always left it up to me. If I went home, you know, if I went over to his house today and said, hey, I'm done, I don't I don't want to do this anymore, there would be no no hard feelings about it. And that was always made very clear. Who was Bill Elliott in your eyes? I mean, just Dad's me, you know, Uh, I mean he's just been, uh that father figure that you know,

I've been fortunate to have. And and I don't I don't take that for granted. Um, but yeah, just just dad. I mean it really is as simple as that. I mean, Um, you know, his work ethic I think is incredible. I mean, heck, he's sixty five fixing to B sixty six and he has more energy uh and and works harder than about

anybody I know. He doesn't quit. So, UM, I feel like just is uh those lessons that you learn and and not And I feel like it's people like him, you know, that work hard, that you really learned by example. He's not the kind of dad who is gonna sit down and tell you this one line of wisdom that's gonna just change your life. Um. I've never really been that way. I'm not. I'm not sure why, but I've

been more of a learn from example kind of person. Um. And I think that there's a lot of qualities there and in that that, Uh, you have been fortunate to to watch and and see over the years when you were watching your dad race and that's all you knew. Where did you watch he's racing on the weekend in the Friday afternoon before you were learning math? Right, So

where were you sitting? You know? How did it just take us through what was it like for Chase Elliott to watch and I'm gonna use a word that I like to use this, what did you get to watch your pop do his do his job? I had about a as much of a front row seat as you could have. I mean as a kid, I don't ever remember watching in the stands or like in a suite or anything. I felt like I was always in the garage during the race weekend, or on the pit box

or somewhere in the pits during during the races. Um. So I had about as much of a front row view as as you could possibly get. UM. And I didn't get to go to all of them, you know, obviously that that school thing. When I could go and they would let me go, I remember just being right there and in the middle of them. It wasn't like I was working on a car, but you know, I remember just being right there, um, in the heart of

of what he had going on. And you know, I just remembered it was such a spectacle, right and and obviously NASCAR has has changed over the years, but you know, when I was little, my goodness, I mean, it was like the thing and there was just in my eyes there was nothing else, not nothing else that mattered. You know, my dad was one of the stars of the show, and I just thought that that was just the absolute coolest thing ever. Those moments were the ones that I'm like, dang, like,

I want to do that. We kind of segment called Let's talk about Let's talk about and your ball happens to be the car. So take us through how many people are on your roster for NASCAR? Because in talking ball in Nascar, I'm Captain dumb dumb, so I need you.

I'm the co pilot, You the co pilot. I need some help in understanding and I'm okay with you knowing that I'm Captain dumb dumb and just kind of dumbing it down for us to really let us know what the ins and out of NASCAR, because I dislike people who act like they know the sport and then you know they're they're telling you stuff and you're like, yeah, fake strategy, yeah, and then you walk away and go,

I had no idea what he was talking about. No, I mean, I get the for sure, and I feel like there's you know, I feel like a lot of people don't understand all of the inner workings that that

make racing kind of go. But I guess to simplify things, there's about fifteen guys UM that travel per car every weekend, so about I would say nine of those are uh, guys who work on the car, so you know, mechanics, um, engineers, things of that nature, that that that you know, put their hands on the car to work it and try to make it go faster. Now you know we have this in sports and in life. You know, you guys, you got fifteen guys, but you've got some guys you

know damn well, you don't want them touching nothing. Well, well, and and let me let me finish the real it'll it'll make more sense. So you have those guys, right, and those are the one you know, those are really the guys who who make things go at the trap. And then you have the five or six. The rules have kind of buried that and they're they're limiting the amount of pickure members you can have UM. But now you have the rest of that is your pit crew

members who performed pit stops. You got fifth team, Yeah, so you have I think I think now there are five members of of the guys who go over the wall, there's five people who go over the wall to circa. So I'm just gonna ask a dumb one is the gas of guy? Do you guys you try out for that? Do you go to school for that? Or do you How do I fill that out on a job application. I don't do tires, I don't do breaks, but they look for a lot of athletes, though I know I

just want to do Yeah. I wasn't gonna say yeah, I know, Yeah, this is where I'm going with this because, uh, those those six guys, five or six guys who go over the wall, um, they're you know, played football or you know, we're serious athletes in college who you know, might have not made it pro or whatever it is, and they have transformed them into pick crew members to perform these twelve second you use the word transformed, Yeah, how do you transform for going across the middle? Yeah?

To changeing tires? Like I'm I'm believing it is a different Obviously, it's a different movement motor skill. But you know it, I'm not gonna say it's not a it's not a skill or technique because it is. I mean, I brother ain't changed the tire effort in his life. That's why I got triple a and I got all other things because if we are stuck, like I see all those guys that do it, and they do it

at such a high level, they do it fast. It's it's amazing but also scary because they also have uh protective where all you know, protective gear, so that means they also can be injured and they can be lit on fire. Like there's a lot of different It ain't like, oh, you know, don't put your hand on the don't put your hand on the on the heated oving glass like

you can lose a finger, um doing some of that stuff. Yeah, you absolutely can, I mean, and that I mean, going over the wall is a a very risky thing, not to mention you know, yes, you can hurt yourself on the car you're working on, but there's also thirty nine other cars going up and down pit road. There's cars part you know, coming in their pit box behind you, in front of you. There's a lot going on from from that. But yeah, these guys are are amazing. I mean to be able and perform that type of a

pit stop at that amount of time. You know, you're talking changing four tires and filling a car up with gas in twelve seconds. Now you you go figure me that one, because it's it's honestly nuts. Are there any unwritten rule rules in Nascar? It depends on the person, you know. I feel like some people are more you know, um, get their feelings hurt more easily than others. So the person, you know, a person who gets their feelings hurt probably

has a bigger rule book than someone who doesn't. But I feel like that's pretty you know, I mean, they're I feel like in football you watch people who get really some guys are easily agitated more than others. So I feel like that's similar to similar to other sports as well. Why why is it in Nascar when all

else fails you just ramp somebody into the wall. Well typically that because typically typically if a guy gets crashed, like blatantly wrecked, you know, not not a miss dake like, hey I messed up, we crashed, Uh, there was something that was warranted for that. A lot of times give us, not including yourself, what give us a good example? Remember we you know, the closest I get to Nascar are in ramming somebody intentionally intentionally that's considered against so all

that that's how you get a case road rage. So what what do you what do you mean? You give what you get? Do you get what you give? And in racing, like you know, if a guy runs you over or you know, rex you a week before, um, and you're and the shoe is on the other foot, uh down the road, I think you fully expect to get that back. And I think you have to, you know, I think you have to. You have to think about

those those scenarios. But you know, especially when you're racing for a race win, and you know, if a guy just blatantly takes you out or or uh and then but not not just if a guy completely takes you out. Hey, if you're racing for a winn, a guy moves you out of the way, Um, he didn't wreck you, but he put the bumper two to pass you, I think he can expect that back. Um. And that's just hard racing. You get what you give. And most most all the guys in in racing are going to race you how

you race them. And uh, I think that's one of those unwritten rules. But it you know, it's pretty well understood. You know, most guys are most guys are going to treat you how how you treat them for the most part, and that's you know, completely fine. How do you get into race mode? What? What gets you pumped up for

a race? What motivates you? It's so hard to UM because you know, I'm trying to relate it like I feel like when you guys are getting dressed ready for a football game, Like you're in the locker room and next thing you do is you go out in the

field and you're ready to go get after it. Whereas for us, you know, when I suit up and I'm getting ready to change and and you know, get ready to walk out to the car where we still have you know, driver introductions and you might still have to take pictures with sponsors UM or shake hands and be

nice to people. Were in reality, I don't really want to talk to anyone UM, And I think that's very fair, you know, as from a competitor standpoint, But naspar is just a different dynamic and it makes it really hard to get in that mode. So for me, UM, I feel like I don't really lock in until I get in the car on on on race day. And the reason for that is is because I can't you you know, smile and and and you know say thanks to the

people that that are making all this go. Um. But then when you get in the car and you put your home on on, I feel like that's really the time where you where you really lock in and um start dialing in those those small details that you've been looking at and and uh studying or or the practice the day before, what we changed and get ready to go. What's one of the biggest myths that's total b s

as you know, as being a driver. I don't know about what the biggest myth is, but I feel like one of the biggest questions for non NASCAR fans is what do you have to do when you have to go to the bathroom? Feel like that is just the number one thing that everyone always wants to talk about about NASCAR, Right. I know you're wondering, don't lie. I wasn't gonna lie. Already asked one before, so I knew the answer. He basically told me he tinkles on himself.

Do you well, I don't. I don't know who you talked to, but I don't know. I don't know about that one another word, try not to try to everything. We need to know everything. It is gonna be a you know, a tough gig the day that that a man has to tinkle on themselves. I have been very fortunate to not have to cross that bridge yet. But uh yeah, I mean it's I mean, you know this, like you're in a football game. You don't have to

go to the bathroom. You have to, you said, don't You don't you know how much liquid I'm drink, right, But you're not sweating it. You're not sweating too. Yes, I've used the bathroom several times. Really, that is super surprising to have used conversation, you know. And I have played with a teammate that has gotten hit so hard that he yep, we call him King. His last night was King, and so he and he it wasn't as bad. Here's what happened. Here's what Okay, here's what happened. Chase.

You ready, alright? So we're in two. I think we're playing against We're playing against New Orleans Saints and Jake Long's quarterback Jeff Kings are tight end who's now a really good scout for the Chicago Bears. He probably needs to be looking at a new quarterback. Anyway, we're going moving forward. So we ran up, we run around and he runs a deep angal which is a post a corner, and Jake threads the needle and throws it and I believe Roman Harper, who lives currently now in Charlotte, hit him.

And we go back to the huddle and it was I mean, he got hit pretty hard. We go back to the huddle and everybody's kind of looking was like and Jake says, I'm sorry, and Jeff goes bro all right, he started I should almost and we're like, excuse me, but what did Jake do? We kept feeting because they didn't want to tackle him, so they're throwing the ball

to to to to kink. He's catching it and I we end up getting a position ourselves, getting a field goal going into half, and then he changed his pants at halftime. It was pretty bad, So yeah, it does happen now myself. I went to use the bathroom several times. I peed on the sideline in the cup, in the Gatorade Cup, and then discarded. I just I'm blown away. I honestly excuse my ignorance, but I'll be honest. I honestly did not think that y'all even had together or

even worried about going to bathroom. Like I just assumed, Hey, we don't like I know, like I know when I get in the car, like going to the bathroom is not an option, Like, don't even consider it. So I just assumed that it would be the same. I think it's about that time. Just take a little breather, come back. We have to pay some bills. Um, I have to use the bathroom. Good do it, Good do it. Let's getting down to do it. Good do it? Hey, Gerard,

why didn't you get that T shirt? You mean this thing? Oh yes, I got it from cut to a podcast dot com where we have exclusive merchandise. Shout out to our guys at seven or four shot. But yeah, you can go on, buy you a T shirt, subscribe to us wherever you listen to podcasts. Our last statement that we like to close out on is called the Deep three.

And basically what this is three questions that will ask you that basically goes behind your your suit, you being behind the car, behind your helmet, and just getting to know you at a deeper level. So Smithie, go ahead and give the first question. You ready, Hell, I guess okay, that sounds serious. It is you want them to say about William Clyde Elliott the second. Yeah, that's that's a

good I mean, that's a good question. I feel like from from a racing perspective, I mean, everybody wants to be the best, right Like, that's a that's an easy answer. But I think for me, UM, probably probably two things. Uh One, certainly just want to be known as as a racer, Like I just want to be known as you know, when I show up at the racetrack, I'm there for for one job. You know, I'm not I'm not there to be the loudest guy in the room or there to to you know, make friends. I want

to I want to do my job. But I think more so centered for right now. Two and this is a goal that I have currently, UM, that I would love to leave with is I want to get to the point where I personally and we as a team have a shot to win every week. And that doesn't mean you're going to have the most race wins, that doesn't mean you're going to have the most championships. But I want to be a guy who who can win at any race track on the schedule, big track, small track,

road course. I just want to have I want to have that ability to be good at all of them. UM. And I want to be known as a guy that that can win anywhere at any time. And uh, that that's where I want to get. That's my that's my current vision that that's what I want to achieve. Um And that that's what I'd love to be known as, is a is a guy who can do that because there are guys who do that now, that that run good everywhere, um, that are threats to win win a

race any any given time. UM. And I think that's a I think that's really in my eyes currently, I think that's that's a big deal. And really I think all all a racer can ask for is to have that ability. And that's what I want to be known as. What makes you so proud to carry on your dad's legacy? Um? Well, I think, for for one, you know, just carrying on the name, I guess in racing, you know, he um, he and his he and his family made it made

it popular and and they made it successful. And I think that I think the family aspect of knowing, you know, my dad wasn't just on his own. Uh. You know, his brothers had a big time involvement in in his career and in their success. So I think just kind of knowing the family history to it and how involved their their family was and how that was the key to their success. UM. Although it's a different time and and you know they're not hands on making cars go fast.

For me, I think knowing the family history certainly pushes me to want to, UM keep that family name or keep their name kind of around in racing because I think it belongs. I like that last one. One day you have your own child, son, her daughter, what do you want to leave them with? The man? That's tough.

That's tough for for a guy who does not have kids, UM, because you hear often you know, I feel like I have friends who have had kids and and you know, you can see it from the outside and they'll tell you that their life has changed. UM. So that's a really tough question. And I honestly not to not to shrug it, offer to um, you know, ignore it. But I just don't know that I can answer that until you have one. That's a tough thing. I feel like

a great answer, we'll chase UM. We really appreciate you taking your time and and and sitting down and amusing us and also just schooling us. And I think we we we taught you some things. Um, you know, living here in Charlotte, all the years that I've lived here, which is funny as I've lived there in nineteen years now. Um, there's so much about Charlotte and all the different sports

that I'm still learning forty one years old. You're twenty four years old, and you have so much life to live and learn and embrace, and so am I. And the one word, Um, there's a few words though, but the one word that as we sat down and talked is yeah, I can hear your voice. I can hear how you talk about your family, how you talk about

the way you grew up. Even we we didn't even talk about some of the things like how you had the pilots you have a pilot's license, and and word on the street is that you also got a runaway down there at dawson Ville, Georgia. So you get in and out. But the one word that I really, um that kind of stands out for me is grateful that you are so grateful for your pop, but you also relish the relationship that you have with your dad and you you know, UM, not a lot of people have that.

I have that with my son, but I don't have it with my actual father, and you do and so um, I can hear your voice, man, So thank you for giving us just a little peek into that Elliott family of greatness. And I appreciate y'all have me, and certainly, like you mentioned, I learned learned some things on my end, and I appreciate y'all's willingness to learn more about racing and um and about me personally. And hope some time down the road our puzzle across and we can we

can meet up and try to learn some more. All right, Well, appreciate it, Thank you, and listen, if you got us on our prick crew on your pick crew, it can't be a real race because I know, no screw something up. Are you gonna put it on me? Well, I definitely don't want y'all screw up because I'm I'm the one that's driving it. So it's gonna hurt. It's gonna hurt more me than it is you probably. Yeah, we're trying to hurt your point standing for sure. I don't want

that either. Yeah, this is my son Peyton, and we're gonna go over let's go over you were a ball boy when I was with the Panthers. What was that experience like being on the sideline with me? Um? I mean, it's probably one of the coolest things I've done for sure. UM, I'm just gonna be I mean, being a kid who likes football, being on the sideline watching games, obviously that's exciting. But then also being close to you. UM, I didn't really get much much love down there, but being close

to you is cool. Getting to watch you interact with your team and be on the field and stuff was awesome. Why didn't you get much love? Walk us through that? That might be something you have to answer. I don't know, but um, I mean, you're just go into game mode and it's just a different animal out there. What is game mode? No friends, no friend no family. So we said we're sitting on the sideline right before the game.

We had a little routine, uh, walk us through every team. UM, I mean we were kind of just before the game in pregame, like when no jersey is all that stuff. We just wanted to get their eleven o'clock you got there probably eight clock. Get there at the eight o'clock am. Then I get there about ten thirty eleven o'clock and side noticed I used to actually go to church before

the game. So I had a little gig where they would take me in the back where I go to church and I would tie before, so I would leave before the tithe and at the end, so I'll go to church, go to the game, and then with you know, we do pre game and I do my routine, come out of tunnel, angry Steve. We're sitting on the sideline, we do they do the national anthem, they're about to do the kickoff and we're sitting on the sideline, and right before we would always a little do a little

fist pound. Walk us through what you experienced and what happened during the fist pound of me coming out of stadium doing the fist pound. Yes, they come out of the tunnel. Sometimes he could get an out. Sometimes he'd just be on the sideline and then right after he would go out for the captains for the coin toss, and then he'd come back and I was usually behind like the water cooler, so I go over where he was sitting on the bench and got dap him up.

And it was kind of one of those like he would turn his head away and then dap me up, kind of like I don't want to do this, but you're my son, so I don't have a choice, and then dap me up. So I would look away and just like turn your head the other way and dap me up. And how did that make you feel? I mean,

I just thought it was kind of funny. I mean I was never really like bothered by it, because I was like, I know he's in gay mode, but sometimes I was like, dang, I'm really just one of the babble. What did you experience as being a ball boy on the sideline and your dad is playing pretty prominent figurehead or interactive or being heavily involved in the game, and and you watching some of that stuff, Like what what did you learn about? What did you learn about me?

That you're crazy? Okay, other than that I was crazy, um, I mean I learned that you're are invested in the games, Like even if you're not on the field, you're watching and you're coaching, and I could see that you knew a lot about the game apart from playing receiver, Like I've seen you talking to running backs, You've talked to dB, so you're just always trying to be there and kind of coach people and help people, and um, I mean, you're definitely like a leader on the field, and people

would turn to you, like if it was a close game where we were down, people would turn to you for that answer, the solution, or the energy. So I think it was cool to see like how much of the impact you had on people on the field, but then also like everyone in the crowd was looking up to you, but also it was clear that your teammates looked up to you as well, and I thought that was cool. I appreciate that. One of the cool things. One of the biggest fears though, in that is in

those big moments, having to be that answer. I always struggled with that because I didn't want to let my teammates now and the bigger part also having my boy on the sideline, I didn't want him to see that Daddy actually failed, that Dad was not that superhero that I thought it was. So that was always, um something

that I tried to make sure didn't didn't happen. And you know, playing in Carolina, playing in Baltimore, what was really cool is I had the unique opportunity that both of my boys or my oldest two boys got to see Dad play. The only part that makes me tear up is my youngest never gets that experience that his other two high and that that that's that's the part

that sucks even till this day. Um. Deuce says at times, Daddy, when we're going through the tunnel, because when we lived in Baltimore is the tunnel the mc henry tunnel week and he loved going through the tunnel and just experiencing going through a tunnel. Especially living in Charlotte there are no tunnels. You're going underwater and coming out and there's a different part of the city. He got to experience that and so Um, but he didn't get the full

experience that the two older brothers. Guy. So that's that's pretty cool, um. And that's the one thing I think that really when I think go back and look at my football career, it does. That's the only part that saddens me is that he doesn't get to experience that. So, but that's it. So appreciate you listening to cut to it.

Appreciate you uh sitting in on the father and selling conversation. Um. Not a lot of people get to experience that and I get to one of the greatest gifts I have gotten playing football, but also I've gotten now during this podcast cut to it is my son is also part of UM the media team. And so one of the things that I've grown up and become older is realizing you can own a business or you can work for a business, but owning a business you give the opportunity

to change people's perspective. They're just allowing them to us and or decent. And I get to have a podcast that thankful for I heart radio UH black effect, ah Baltic creative Media UM to be able to do all that stuff. And then at the end of it, I get to talk to athletes, but my son is right next to me. Also get to work with some of my best friends as well. UM, but working with my son is pretty cool. And the coolest part is, UM, Joe Fussy is our booking agent, and you're our little

John co host. But you're our little John and Joe are in charge of Peyton. I'm not his boss. I just get to be his dad. And that's the part where it keeps it clean and it keeps us fun. So I hope you enjoy listening to us. Continue to download and hear us and understand that. UM. Without you, uh, we don't really get to do these things that we do. UM. But if you be signed out to download us, we'll still keep doing what we're doing. Appreciate it, God bless.

Cut to It with Steve Smith Senior. That Is Me is a production of Cut to It, LLC, Baltol Creative Media, The Black Effect, and I Heart Radio. For more podcast from I Heart Radio, visit the i Heart Radio app, Apple Podcast, or wherever you listen to your favorite shows from Cut to It Executive producer Steve Smith, Senior, co host Gerard little John, talent and booking manager Joe Fusci,

social media manager Peyton Smith from Balto Creative Media. Cut to It is produced by Brian Balta Chevitch and Meredith Carter, with production assistance by Alex Lebrek, Production manager Sarah Pollock. Theme music by Alex Johnson, lyrics and vocals by Anthony Hamilton. If you ain't heard about it, then we're about to let you know. It's all