Chase Elliott shares heartwarming story after Atlanta win

Chase Elliott won Saturday's NASCAR Cup Series race at EchoPark Speedway, but he wasn't the only individual to come away from the Quaker State 400 victorious. 

In a partnership with Napa and the Chase Elliott foundation, 11-year-old Rhealynn Mills, a pediatric cancer patient at Children's Healthcare of Atlanta, designed the paint scheme that adorned Elliott's No. 9 Chevrolet on Saturday evening. When the checkered flag flew, it was Mills' paint scheme that crossed the line first as she and her family watched on pit road. 

On a night where Elliott broke a 44-race winless streak in front of a partial home crowd, Mills was right in the middle of the frontstretch celebration. 

"Rhealynn and her family are just amazing people," Elliott said in his post-race news conference. "I'm always inspired by those stories and the things you hear her say. The things that motivate her should be contagious to all of us and lessons that can be taken in anyone's life." 

Elliott and Mills were able to soak up the celebration together, making for a memory Elliott said both parties will cherish forever. 

"I told her (that) this is not normal," Elliott said. "Make sure you enjoy this. Those types of moments, all the stars aligning, that stuff doesn't happen every day. I recognize that, and I try to cherish that stuff. It's hard to come by." 

Elliott said moments like being able to celebrate with Mills shine a spotlight on all the things that, at the end of the day, are bigger than racing. 

"There's a lot of things bigger than the sport, and that's certainly a great reminder," Elliott said. "So many of those kids have had extremely tough roads, and it's no fault of their own. It's important to recognize that it's not just the individual, it's the entire family. Rhealynn brought her brother out (to the race). She was excited to have him here, because she said that, 'he's missed so many things because of me, I want him to go and have fun'."

"I'm grateful to have witnessed it and to have lived tonight with them and hopefully give them a day that they'll never forget."