HENRY COUNTY, Va. (WDBJ) – It was a special day Friday for more than 200 Eastman employees at their Fieldale location, as star NASCAR driver Chase Elliott stopped by for a meet and greet.
“It’s not every day you get to come and spend time with the people who actually make that company go,” said Elliott.
Elliott’s number nine car will be sporting a Llumar sponsorship, a brand owned by Eastman, but the car will also have a special message: “Proudly Made In Martinsville.”
“The culture that Eastman has here with the teams, the strength, the talent that’s in the area and the commitment to the community. We’ve been operating here in Martinsville for over 60 years and we love it, it’s the global capital for window film,” said Erin Bernhardt, general manager for performance films at Eastman Chemical Company.
“It doesn’t get much easier and more natural than that,” said Elliott.
It was a special surprise, that Elliott and Eastman employees across the world can be proud of.
“It’s a surprise to the team here on site, we have almost 1,000 employees here and it means a lot. I’m extremely excited. And not just here, across the country and across the world, our other Eastman employees will be able to see that pride and see Chase drive to the finish line with it,” said Bernhardt.
This is a continued sponsorship Eastman hopes will be there for many years.
Elliott was clear he’s appreciative for what each Eastman employee does and is looking forward to the employees cheering him Saturday night.
“You have these massive companies but every person plays a role in the bigger picture and I think it’s all very important,” said Elliott.
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