In pictures: Chase Elliott swaps steering wheel for a microphone as he presents an ACMA award

In a recent Instagram story, NASCAR driver Chase Elliott was seen in a different light. Dressed in a checkered blazer, white shirt, blue jeans, and a tan leather belt, Elliott was seen presenting the Academy of Country Music Awards, changing his steering wheel for a microphone.

The social media post was uploaded as a story on Elliott’s official Instagram account. In the story, the Hendrick Motorsports star is seen taking on the presenting duties at the 60th Academy of Country Music Awards held in Frisco, Texas. The awards ceremony streamed exclusively on Prime Video on Thursday, May 8. He presented one of the awards, standing alongside a lineup of celebrity presenters like Blake Shelton, Martina McBride, Lionel Richie, and Wynonna Judd.

Chase Elliott's story on Instagram, hosting the Academy of Country Music Awards- 8 May, 2025. Source: via Instagram, @chaseelliott9

Reba McEntire hosted the 60th Academy of Country Music Awards, which featured performances from artists like Alan Jackson, Brothers Osborne, Lainey Wilson, and Chris Stapleton. Keith Urban was honored with the ACM Triple Crown Award.

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“I’d make it as abrasive as possible” — When Chase Elliott spoke of his vision for a perfect racetrack

Before coming to the top tier of American motorsports, Chase Elliott shared a thought about racing surfaces in a 2014 interview with veteran NASCAR journalist Jeff Gluck. When asked how he would spend $5 million to build a track, Elliott said he would pave it using old asphalt to make a surface as abrasive as possible.

He believed this would challenge drivers more and offer better entertainment for fans, saying (via Jeff Gluck, 12 Questions with Chase Elliott, 2014):

“The first thing I would do would be to figure out a way to pave a new track with old asphalt. I'd make it as abrasive as possible… throw in the Darlington (element) of a very narrow racetrack… make it racy but where you have to run up against the wall… maybe just a little bigger than a half-mile.”

2020 NASCAR Cup Series champion Elliott has built a solid reputation in the sport. At 29, he has 19 Cup Series victories and a championship title. His career began with wins in short-track events like the Winchester 400 and the Snowball Derby. In 2014, he made history by becoming the youngest driver and first rookie to win a NASCAR Xfinity Series title.

Elliott currently sits fourth in the 2025 Cup Series drivers' standings. He hasn’t won a race or stage yet this season, but does have three top-five finishes, six top-10s, and an average finish of 11.4.

Elliott’s focus will return to racing as the NASCAR calendar moves to Kansas Speedway, where he won in 2018. But his stint on the awards stage proves he’s just as comfortable under studio lights as he is behind the wheel.