NASCAR Turns a Deaf Ear to Chase Elliott’s Desperate Penalty Plea Despite “Data” to Back Unintentional COTA Claims

Many drivers were having a tough day navigating through the tight and technical turns of the 3.426-mile road course in COTA. In fact, a total of six Cup Series champions found themselves spinning out or being pushed back even before we reached the final stage of the race.

The race was indeed eventful, with the field trying tirelessly to make their way up the grid. That included 2020 Cup Series champion Chase Elliott, who was desperate for a win, something he has been chasing since the unfortunate snowboarding accident that left him sidelined last year. But sadly, Austin was just another race the Hendrick Motorsports driver would like to forget.

NASCAR shockingly turned its back on ‘The Golden Boy’ Chase Elliott

On Lap 39 of the Cup Series race at the Austin track, Elliott was issued a pass-through penalty for cutting through corners. The chicanes are the only part of the course that has track limits enforced, and Elliott blew through Turn 4. However, he didn’t do it on purpose. As per the team, the HMS driver got loose and had to correct a slide, eventually leading him to miss his line. His crew chief, Alan Gustafson, even went to appeal the penalty since it was incidental and not intentional.

Unfortunately, NASCAR enforced the penalty, and the current ‘Most Popular Driver’ award holder for the Cup Series wasn’t excused. This only took the momentum away from the #9 HMS Chevy. “He got loose, NASCAR,” his crew chief Alan Gustafson exclaimed. To further his case, Elliott radioed back to Gustafson, “Show them the data or something if it’ll help.” While the #9 team tried to get NASCAR’s attention, the organization snubbed their own Golden Boy.

This call from NASCAR was not only surprising for the HMS team but also the Elliott fans. However, what is interesting to note is that one of the most prominent insiders took NASCAR’s side in this kerfuffle. It was none other than Brett Griffin who stirred the pot when he said the plea from the #9 team was itself wrong.

However, Chase Elliott’s fans were livid, claiming things like, “That penalty on Chase Elliott was the worst penalty ever given in the history of NASCAR” and “Chase Elliott’s penalty was 100% crap. One of the worst calls ever.” Amid all the backlash NASCAR was facing on the internet, former driver Kenny Wallace gave his take – albeit mockingly – on the penalty.

Imitating an Elliott fan, Wallace expressed…

Maybe we can blame the driver’s luck on this one because after this penalty, when the race had 14 laps remaining, Elliott also had a late spin, which further saw him fall back to 16th place.

Elliott’s dismal streak extends into 2024

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The 2020 Cup Series champion is currently one of the most accomplished road course drivers in the series. Despite not winning a race on a road course since 2021, he leads all active drivers in wins on these tracks: 7. However, his mantle as the best road racer might be at stake here as his teammate, William Byron, keeps pushing the envelope.

This season isn’t going the way that Elliott wanted it to. Ever since he broke his left tibia while snowboarding in Colorado, the driver has struggled to finish races in respectable spots. He relied on pit strategy and cautions to help him gain track position in a few races last season, but that did not hit the mark, and Elliott failed to make it to the playoffs for the first time in his Cup career.

Last week’s short track action in Bristol was Elliott’s first top-10 finish of the season. He has not been in contention to win a race in a long time. His average finish this season is 13.6. As painful as it seems, he used to be the best road course racer in the Cup Series. Now, in the Next Gen era, things have changed. Drivers have improved, and the cars are as close as they have ever been.

READ MORE: Racing Community Brands NASCAR “An Embarrassment” After “Terrible” Ruling Robbed Chase Elliott at COTA