Home/NASCAR

Sunday’s race was heartbreaking for all Chase Elliott fans. With a wonderful regular as well as playoff season, Elliott managed to stay at the top of the points table for almost the entire period. However, one fatal move in the finals, and the #9 lost his chance of clinching his second Cup Series title.

ADVERTISEMENT

Article continues below this ad

Ross Chastain, known for his aggressive driving style, made it quite obvious that he was going all guns blazing in the final showdown. At Phoenix, both Elliott and Chastain were fighting for the title. However, soon after the restart at lap 200, Chase Elliott’s car was sent sliding into the wall.

And this contact, unfortunately, took away all the hopes of winning the championship for the #9. Moreover, Elliott finished the race in the 28th position. Something that he and his team were surely not expecting.

After the race, when Hendrick Motorsport’s Vice Chairman Jeff Gordon was questioned about his views on the contact, Gordon said; “Well, you know you are not supposed to move out of your lane until you cross the Start-Finish line and that’s exactly what Chase did.”

However, he did add; “And it’s not what I saw out of the #1. And you know, we don’t go to the bottom with a real aggressive move. Not unusual for him to do that. Never lifted, and turned Chase and he made contact with the wall. So, pretty much end to their day.”

And these statements about Chastain from Gordon attracted a backlash from many NASCAR fans. Most of them said that what Chastain did was not exactly wrong. A fan wrote, “I’m a Hendricks fan but I saw nothing wrong there. They were past the line, Ross got inside and chase threw a late block and came across his nose.”

READ MORE: “I Need to Do a Better Job” – Chase Elliott Rings The Alarm Bells as Topsy-Turvy Season Approaches Climax

Whereas another fan said, “I’m a die-hard Hendrick fan and was hoping Chase or at least a Chevy would win but what happened to Chase was not Chastain’s fault!” While another HMS fan wrote, “But Ross was already there. I know Jeff will be bias(ed) since he’s chairman at HMS. Looked to be a mistake from Chase’s spotter if we’re being honest. I personally hate it for Chase but Ross is not at fault here.”

Jeff Gordon on Chase Elliott and his driving style

ADVERTISEMENT

Article continues below this ad

When asked what he said to Elliott after the race, Jeff Gordon revealed that he didn’t had much to say. He shared; “I love the way that Chase Elliott races. A lot of integrity earns a lot of respect with his competitors. And you know, it’s just frustrating him because he doesn’t feel like he gets raced the same way in return.”

via Getty

Furthermore, he added that he was expecting a tougher competition this year. He added; “Really proud of the effort that they put in this. They had a heck of a year and thought they were in a great position to give Joey a run for his money for this championship.”

ADVERTISEMENT

Article continues below this ad

WATCH THIS STORY: Hendrick Motorsports Crew Chief Screams at “F**king Idiot” After Chase Elliott Mishap

However, Gordon did say that Joey Logano and Team Penske did a great job. He said; “But those guys, Joey and Penske, congrats to them. They did a fantastic job. Not only this year, but certainly today they earned it.”