11-year-old who has overcome 19 surgeries designs car of hope and healing for Chase Elliott

NBC Sports

a day ago

Chase Elliott will again have his No. 9 NAPA Chevrolet decorated by a child to bring attention to and help raise funds for Children's Healthcare of Atlanta.
This marks the ninth edition of the 'Desi9n to Drive' program through the Chase Elliott Foundation. 'Desi9n to Drive' has raised nearly half a million dollars for Children's Healthcare of Atlanta.
Elliott will run the special scheme on his Hendrick Motorsports car at EchoPark Speedway, the track formerly known as Atlanta Motor Speedway.
'At first (the program) kind of started off with shoes and really NAPA's involvement kind of took it to the next level, honestly,' Elliott said. 'It's been rewarding, but I think more than anything it's had an impactful difference on people's lives.'
Elliott's car and uniform for the June 28 race will feature a design created by 11-year-old Rhealynn Mills, chosen among submissions from patients at the Aflac Cancer and Blood Disorders Center of Children's.
She was diagnosed with Metastatic Osteosarcoma in October 2022. She had her right leg amputated, one of 19 surgeries she has undergone.
The car Chase Elliott will drive June, 28, 2025 at EchoPark Speedway in Hampton, Ga. The car was designed by an 11-year-old as part of the 'Desi9n to Drive' program through the Chase Elliott Foundation that benefits Children's Healthcare of Atlanta.
Photo: Hendrick Motorsports
Her design illustrates her desire to be a nurse and features symbols of hope and healing, including gold childhood cancer ribbons, stethoscopes, heart monitors and the words 'Cure Cancer' and 'healing kids like me' on the No. 9 car.
'For her to kind of exemplify and show the fight that she's gone through and that attitude that she's had throughout the process, I think, is really important,' Elliott said of Mills' design. 'Excited to have her and meet here and spend some time with her family, too. I've said this before, it's not just her, the whole family and what they go through and deal with through the process, it's a lot of weight on a lot of different people.'
Elliott said that having such interactions are special to him.
'I say this a lot, if you can help make 1% of somebody's day a little better in that situation, I think it's worth the time,' he said. 'I think that's always a good reminder. We obviously have a lot going on, too, and everybody has their things in their own lives. I think there's a lot of lessons in all of that.
'I think one of the biggest ones I've taken is you just don't really know what someone is going through when you walk past them on the street. I think that's just a really important thing to remember. If people can take that away from some of this, you might see these people or family members or her and have no idea, right?
'Just showing them some respect and hopefully making their days better and giving them an experience they might not have, whether they're race fans or not, I think, is a good thing. We're just trying to help.'
Race fans can enter the online sweepstakes fundraiser at desi9ntodrive.org to win part of Elliott's race-worn Atlanta uniform, or a VIP race day meet and greet experience with Elliott. The donations will benefit the Aflac Cancer and Blood Disorders Center of Children's. The sweepstakes start June 12 and closes July 7.