Elliott looks to defend an awkward victory
LONG POND, Pa. — Chase Elliott had just landed from the plane ride back from Pocono when texts started coming in from friends congratulating him on his latest NASCAR victory.
Hold up.
What victory?
“No, we ran third,” Elliott said he replied.
Finished third, yes — but won the Pocono race, all because of a bizarre disqualification that stripped Joe Gibbs Racing teammates Denny Hamlin and Kyle Busch of their 1-2 finishes and sent Elliott to victory. And he never led a lap. Hamlin was the first disqualified Cup winner since April 17, 1960, when Emanuel Zervakis’ victory at Wilson Speedway in North Carolina was thrown out because of an oversized fuel tank.
The NASCAR inspection team found issues in both JGR Toyotas that affected the aerodynamics and tossed out the finish.
Hamlin’s win gave him the career lead — for a few hours, at least — at Pocono with seven. Hamlin’s young daughter burst into tears of joy and he sent her to retrieve the checkered flag. Taylor Hamlin clutched the flag as she slid through the passenger’s side window and took a victory lap around Pocono with dad at the wheel.
Taylor Hamlin still owns the flag.
As for the winner’s prize, Hamlin shipped the Eagle trophy to Elliott, perhaps the least prized one in his possession.
“I didn’t want to celebrate it, personally,” Elliott said. “That’s not how I want to win a race. We all want to go win them outright and make sure we feel like we earned it. We want to earn it every week.”
NASCAR’s decision reignited the debate on whether winners should have wins rescinded because of rules violations.
Winning teams found in violation of the rules before 2019 were penalized with postrace fines, point deductions and/or suspensions. But drivers didn’t have victories taken away from them until then.
Busch said NASCAR’s decision was “a bit over the top” and used air quotes when he said the violation was blatant.
“Honestly if it was something missed, then that is the price we have to pay as a team. We win and we lose together,” Busch said. “So the cars have to be right, and more right now than ever because the rules and the infractions are just so stiff.”
Busch has moved on to Richard Childress Racing and has three wins this season. Hamlin was officially scored 35th in the race and did not win again the rest of 2022. He has one victory this season. Elliott, the 2020 NASCAR champion, had five wins last season but has yet to take the checkered flag this year. Elliott has missed seven races this season because of injuries and a suspension, putting him in position to have to win a race essentially to make the playoffs.
Elliott is not among the top 16 drivers in points. Pocono marked the first of six races left in NASCAR’s version of the regular season that will set the playoff field.
“I think it has been in some ways enjoyable to find new challenges and kind of push yourself in different areas,” Elliott said. “It doesn’t really feel a ton different I guess than like a playoff run, like in the final 10 [races].”