Chase Elliott Shoots 9-Word Sarcastic Reply After His “Least Dejected” Attitude, Despite HMS’s Qualifying Nightmare, Raised Questions

People have a knack for assessing how you’re feeling through one’s body language and facial expressions. Fans holler with joy and excitement when Ross Chastain smashes a watermelon to mark his victory in a race. His aggressive way of racing as well as celebrating any win has become his signature style. Fans get a wholesome feeling when Chastain pays homage to his agriculturalist roots in this way. Alternatively, is it necessary for racers to be very expressive of their emotions upon losing a race? What does it say about a racer who doesn’t look heartbroken on the outside after not winning? 

Saturday was a low moment for Hendrick Motorsports. 2020 Cup Series champion Chase Elliott was subtly made to acknowledge his lack of a radical expression after the disappointing qualifying on Saturday. As a just response, he provided a brief 9-worded reply that was enough to thwart any such questions in the future. Further, what he said gave hope to all HMS supporters.

Chase Elliott’s not-so-sad face stood out

The Crayon 301 qualifying in New Hampshire was an utter disappointment for Hendrick Motorsports. William Byron, Kyle Larson, Alex Bowman, and Chase Elliott bagged the 7th, 15th, 25th, and 18th positions, respectively. Despite Byron topping the playoffs list, their performance on Saturday was clearly not the best. While Larson and Bowman wore their disappointment on their face, Elliott did not. This contrast has piqued the curiosity of quite a few reporters. Thus, Elliott was questioned about this, for he looked “the least dejected” after the qualifying. Either he was the least dejected, according to some, or he did an exemplary job of hiding his true feelings. 

But Elliott tackled it with the smoothest 9-word response. “Maybe because I’ve been here more than them recently,” he said. This was a reference to the tire test he had performed in April on the same track, along with Brad Keselowski and Christian Bell. Thus, he has been here more frequently this season than any of the other HMS drivers. Does this mean that he had somewhat predicted his performance in April itself?

“I mean, everybody has their own way of going about you know bad days or whatever maybe. So, the face that you bring in here is not necessarily a reflection of how hard we’re going to work to try to be better,” continued Elliott. 

Watch This Story: After Chase Elliott’s unthinkable act, rumoured girlfriend Olivia Dunne’s patriotic Nashville gesture got fans’ approval

Elliott’s response has clearly hailed from a very rational state of mind. Fans find it admirable that Elliott could keep up his pragmatism even amidst a qualifying that wasn’t up to the mark.

Chase Elliott remains unfazed after the qualifying debacle

Chase Elliott is yet to taste victory this season, primarily because he missed out on 7 races. With five Top 5 finishes despite being winless, he gives fans hope. 

“So, whether you’re smiling, not smiling, mad, not mad, I think we’re all gonna go work as hard as we can tonight and get ready for you know for the race to make the most of it. So, you know that’s what I’m gonna do and that’s all I can do at this point,” he promised. Indeed, with the practice and qualifying over, drivers can really do little other than prepare adequately for the big event.

The New Hampshire race is looming around the corner. Fans are pumped up to see whether the qualifying was just a prelude to a disappointing race altogether, or whether drivers are coming back with renewed spirit to excel despite the modifications made by NASCAR.

Read More: “It’s Kind of A 180 From Where We Were at the Test”: Iconic Veteran Calls Out NASCAR, Snubbing Their Effort as He Claims the Track Is “Really Challenging”