‘Have faith:’ NASCAR Live host encourages Irish Breakfast crowd

A Trinity Christian graduate and NASCAR Live host encouraged people attending the Irish Chamber Breakfast to lean on God while taking zero credit for the blessings he showers on them.

Carla Metts, who was the guest speaker for the event, gained a green jacket following her speech at the DuBose Porter Center last Tuesday morning. When she took the stage, Metts admitted that she is used to appearing in front of millions of viewers on TV, but being in front of a crowd like the one at the breakfast was “a little more intimidating.” 

“I look across the room and I see friends and family,” Metts said. “I want to thank you if you helped make Dublin-Laurens County a better place to live.” 

She grew up raised by two educators. She and her brother were influenced by their parents, Doug and Wanda Metts. She had two dreams – become a college cheerleader and a sports journalist.

In sixth grade, Metts was told that she would be bumped from the competition cheer team to become an alternate. Her parents did not grumble. Instead, her father took her out in the backyard and worked to improve her skills.

“What I learned was what you put in is what you get out of it,” Metts said. “God delights in leading us. and we can take zero credit for it.” 

Metts graduated from Trinity and became a cheerleader at Georgia Southern in Statesboro.

“I was so focused on cheerleading that I didn’t focus on broadcasting,” she said. “But God continued to lead me.” 

After graduating, she moved to South Dakota. She was able to get into a station and worked what she called one of her best jobs. She then moved to Charlotte, N.C. She applied for jobs but never heard back from anyone.

“I had this peace that God was going to do something,” Metts said.

She wound up taking a job with NASCAR working in their archives in 2019. 

“I had never watched a full NASCAR race,” Metts said.

She lost her job during the COVID pandemic. In July 2020, she had been off the air for the previous two and half years. She was pregnant with her second child and her then-husband lost his job. That is when she received a call from a TV station.

“I started at the bottom of the totem pole,” Metts said.

By 2024, Metts had been named the Fox Sports director in Charlotte, N.C.

“That was really cool,” she said.

By that summer, Metts had a tryout with NASCAR. She thought it went well initially. After a followup phone call, she felt differently. Six months went by without any word from NASCAR. She was stressed after moving into a new home, and she wanted to spend more time with her children.

Metts recalled going into her prayer closet one day and praying to God for a change. By that evening, at 5 p.m., she received an email from NASCAR offering her the job she currently has with NASCAR Live.

“God works things out and gives you dreams for a reason,” Metts said. “You have plans, but they hardly go like things turn out. Just give God the glory. God is going to come through and show you the answer to everything.” 

Metts said many people spend life worrying.

“God is asking us to have faith,” she said. “All these things worked out for me, but it came with a lot of pain and grief. If you are waiting on something, I want to encourage you to have faith in that next step. Ask God 1,000 times because he wants to do something special. Don’t be surprised if he does it in a way where you take zero credit for it.” 

Marcia Dixon, interim president/CEO of the Dublin-Laurens County Chamber of Commerce, presented Metts with the traditional St. Patrick’s Festival green jacket, asking her if she would tell her TV audience “she is from Dublin, Georgia.”

“It is good to have people return to share their stories,” Dixon said. 

Earlier in the event, Dixon said she was happy to see all of the green in the room as she welcomed everyone to the 42nd Irish Breakfast, sponsored by Morris Bank. 

“It’s a day to celebrate our Irish roots,” Dixon said. “When I look out all I see is a sea of green. It’s not about what clothes we are wearing today. It’s about our community.”