In 1960, at Wilson Speedway, Joe Weatherly was declared the winner after the surprising disqualification of Emanuel Zervakis. As they say, history repeats itself. In 2022 at Pocono Raceway, Denny Hamlin won the race, with Kyle Busch in tow. However, in a turn of events, Chase Elliott was declared the winner after both Hamlin and Busch got disqualified. Post-race inspection can really bring some mind-bending changes. 

While Dale Earnhardt had won two races at the Pocono Raceway, it isn’t the smoothest track for racing. There is a reason why it is called a tricky triangle. It has certainly been a nightmare for NASCAR drivers. Thus, Chase Elliott opens up in an interview discussing why he doesn’t feel ready for Pocono despite winning a race there last year. 

Chase Elliott’s intention for participating in the Pocono race

Chase Elliott went from third to first in the blink of an eye at Pocono last year. But despite being declared the winner of the race, he could not celebrate his victory. For, he felt that the victory wasn’t actually his, and it had been handed to him. The sharp turns in Pocono are a tough hurdle for drivers, given the triangular shape of the raceway. Hence, it is natural for Elliott to not feel confident about his 2023 Xfinity series appearance in Pocono on Saturday. 

When asked whether he was looking forward to Pocono, Elliott resorted to honesty. “Umm not really, no, not a lot,” he admitted. However, his feeling towards Pocono was not one of resentment as he explains further. 

“I don’t dislike Pocono. It just hasn’t been a great track for me and I know we’ve got the win there last year. But we didn’t win it outright you know. Would love to run better and part of the reason why I’m doing the Xfinity race is I want to be better up there at the track,” he says.

Chase Elliott seems to be highly aware of the fact that he wasn’t the actual winner of the race. It is probably one of the reasons why his drive to improve himself and strengthen his skills led him to join the Xfinity Series this season. Pocono is a tricky race track, so the more often Elliott races on it, the more potential he’ll have for self-improvement.

“I don’t think I’ve done a great job at uh over the course of my career. And, I’ve been working really hard in some different areas to try to improve. I thought that was a good opportunity to go and be better in a place that (I) haven’t historically been super comfortable at or had great results. So as much as I’ve had my hardships with it, I am looking forward to another opportunity to be better. So, at least look forward to that now, right?” said Elliott.

Perhaps it is this discomfort of his with Pocono that is driving him to work harder. 

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Pocono is ‘just on the schedule’ for Elliott

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While Pocono is a challenge Elliott wishes to take, he doesn’t view it as his biggest threat. While some drivers are particularly wary of Pocono because of its unique structure, Elliott sees the structure as a distinct feature of the track. 

“Yeah, I mean I guess it’s harder in some ways but every track has its own challenges and it’s not like Poconos is new either. You know it’s been around we’ve all watched a thousand laps at that place. I’ll probably run about that many now you know. So yes, it is a little different than most of the tracks that we go to. Some Corners reflect similarities of different racetracks across the country that we do visit. So they just happen to be all in one. So I think it’s, you know, just on the schedule,” he concluded.

Elliott’s 12th position at New Hampshire has fans asking for more. He could either repeat history by winning at Pocono again, or this could just pave his path for his first win this season. Fans can’t wait to find out which possibility unfolds.

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