“He’s so funny, so easy to be around”: Hooters girl describes Chase Elliott’s nature outside NASCAR

Earlier this year, Emily Johnson, the Miss Hooters International 2023, revealed how Chase Elliott is off the track as a person. Elliott, who has been sponsored by Hooters since 2020, is mostly known as a quiet and reserved person in NASCAR circles.

Interestingly, off the track, Elliott is 'funny,' something Johnson told Outkick.com in February earlier this year.

"He's so funny, so easy to be around. Honestly, the first time I met him it felt like I was just speaking to a friend. I was really fortunate to attend the Homestead race last year and got to talk to him through the headset and he was great. He never let the fame change who he is. He's a small-town person, just like me. Me and my family were also fans of Chase's dad growing up, so it's cool," Johnson said of Chase Elliott.

However, Elliott isn't the outright favorite in the Hooters camp.

Sara Vratanina, Miss September from Hooters, claimed her vote for her favorite NASCAR driver is split between Chase Elliott and his pal Ryan Blaney.

"I think I'd have to do half-and-half with (Chase and Blaney). I'm mostly a Chase fan, but still rooting for Blaney," Vratanina said.

She added that Blaney's fiancee Gianna Tulio, is a friend of hers and they started working at Hooters together in Boca.

Notably, In a conversation on the podcast "Kevin Harvick's Happy Hour" earlier this year, Denny Hamlin spoke about Chase Elliott's popularity and his role in NASCAR.

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Chase Elliott doesn't realize his influence in NASCAR as per Denny Hamlin

NASCAR's Kevin Harvick on his podcast asked fellow racer Denny Hamlin to name the driver who he believes should open up more and become more 'compelling to watch.'

Harvick said his own pick is Chase Elliott, who Hamlin agreed he would choose in this case too.

"Chase Elliott is a very important person in our sport. I think he knows it but I don’t think he understands how big his influence is on our sport," Hamlin said. [26:53]

Kevin Harvick added that there's a show element to being a NASCAR driver. He pointed to "a sense of entertainment" that has to go with being a driver who normally wants to focus on his job.

Hamlin agreed and claimed that on top of that, in his opinion, there's an added obligation "to grow the sport." The veteran driver mentioned that the sport itself has to do its own "due diligence" in promoting itself. But the drivers have to be "accessible" so fans can understand the personalities involved.

The Joe Gibbs Racing driver added that everyone loves watching sports because of the superstars and the fact that they can do things that a normal person cannot do.

Hamlin further claimed that they want to show everyone how great Chase Elliott is at his craft. But at the same time, they also get an insight into what makes him that great so they can know it and understand it.