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DAYTONA BEACH, FLORIDA – FEBRUARY 19: Chase Elliott, driver of the #9 NAPA Auto Parts Chevrolet, waits in the garage area during practice for NASCAR Cup Series 64th Annual Daytona 500 at Daytona International Speedway on February 19, 2022 in Daytona Beach, Florida. (Photo by James Gilbert/Getty Images)
via Getty
DAYTONA BEACH, FLORIDA – FEBRUARY 19: Chase Elliott, driver of the #9 NAPA Auto Parts Chevrolet, waits in the garage area during practice for NASCAR Cup Series 64th Annual Daytona 500 at Daytona International Speedway on February 19, 2022 in Daytona Beach, Florida. (Photo by James Gilbert/Getty Images)
This season, the Denny Hamlin and Ross Chastain feud has been ongoing for a while. Both drivers have traded blows on track on multiple occasions and the rivalry is fierce. Recently, Hendrick Motorsports driver Chase Elliott reflected on the Hamlin-Chastain feud. The latest salvo was when the Joe Gibbs Racing driver forced the Trackhouse Racing driver to brush the outside wall.
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Surprisingly, Elliott defended Hamlin and confessed that what he did was a bit tame.
He said, “I thought Denny was pretty nice about it, personally. He did run him off the track a little bit, but he still left him some room there on exit after it was all said and done.”
“So I thought, all things considered, he was pretty kind about what went on there.”
Chase Elliott didn’t like how he got the Pocono win
On the subject of Denny Hamlin, the #9 driver confessed that the JGR man was the real winner. He himself only crossed the line in third place, so the victory wasn’t exactly deserved.
How will Chase Elliott go about getting the trophy from Denny Hamlin? They do have the same agent so I thought maybe he could be the courier. But doesn’t sound like Elliott is interested in asking Hamlin for it. Elliott: “If he wants to keep it, he can keep it.” pic.twitter.com/ZwHRHRYhra
— Bob Pockrass (@bobpockrass) July 25, 2022
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Nevertheless, the statistics don’t lie and Elliott is officially counted as a race winner at Pocono. Obviously, Hamlin and fellow disqualified driver Kyle Busch will be absolutely gutted. However, Joe Gibbs Racing has elected to accept the decision and not appeal it.
Now, all that the JGR pair can do is rue what could have been and then move on to the next race of the season. After Pocono, the paddock heads to the Indianapolis Motor Speedway road course. This race will offer Hamlin and Busch with a chance to redeem themselves.
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At the same time, they will be wary of the many drivers who will want to qualify for the Playoffs. Out of them, the biggest threats are Ryan Blaney, Martin Truex Jr, and Kevin Harvick. Meanwhile, Hamlin will be hoping that Chastain leaves him alone and doesn’t try to exact his revenge.
