USA Today via Reuters
Jul 17, 2022; Loudon, New Hampshire, USA; NASCAR Cup Series driver Chase Elliott (9)and driver Bubba Wallace (23) race during the Ambetter 301 at New Hampshire Motor Speedway. Mandatory Credit: Eric Canha-USA TODAY Sports
USA Today via Reuters
Jul 17, 2022; Loudon, New Hampshire, USA; NASCAR Cup Series driver Chase Elliott (9)and driver Bubba Wallace (23) race during the Ambetter 301 at New Hampshire Motor Speedway. Mandatory Credit: Eric Canha-USA TODAY Sports
At the Pocono Raceway, something unprecedented happened. Chase Elliott inherited the win after race winner and runner-up, Denny Hamlin and Kyle Busch, were disqualified. What made Elliott’s official win so amazing was the fact that he did not lead a single lap. Interestingly, this is not the first time such a situation has cropped up in NASCAR, in the Cup Series.
JUST FYI: @ColeCuster led 0 laps and was declared the winner of the 2019 @NASCAR_Xfinity race at @TooToughToTame after race winner @dennyhamlin was disqualified #NASCAR
— Jim Utter (@jim_utter) July 25, 2022
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As it turned out, Cole Custer and Brett Moffitt inherited race wins after the winners were disqualified. Both of those happened during the 2019 Xfinity Series season at Darlington and at Iowa, respectively. Ironically, Custer inherited the Darlington win after Hamlin got disqualified. Meanwhile, Moffitt inherited his win after race winner Ross Chastain was disqualified on technical grounds.
READ MORE: The Last Time Denny Hamlin Got Disqualified for Technical Infringements
Denny Hamlin owns an unfortunate NASCAR record because of Chase Elliott
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It is also worth noting that the #11 Joe Gibbs Racing driver is the first race winner to be disqualified in more than 60 years. This will undoubtedly be a statistic that he would not want to own. Nevertheless, one man’s devastation is another man’s elation, and the big winner was Chase Elliott. Meanwhile, it was a disaster for Hamlin and his teammate Kyle Busch.
USA Today via Reuters
May 14, 2022; Kansas City, Kansas, USA; NASCAR Cup Series driver Denny Hamlin (11) races during the AdventHealth 400 Practice at Kansas Speedway. Mandatory Credit: Amy Kontras-USA TODAY Sports
On the bright side, they probably do not have to worry about being eliminated from playoff contention. However, for the sake of personal pride, they would want to nab a couple more wins. Additionally, they will be hoping that there are no more new winners, as we already have 14 different race winners.
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WATCH THIS STORY: Ex-employee of Brad Keselowski’s RFK Racing Joins Hands With “Michael Jordan & Denny Hamlin’s” NASCAR Team
With a grand total of 16 Playoff spots, the competition is fierce, and just five races are remaining. So, every non-qualified driver will be hard at work trying to snatch the final two spots. At the same time, the drivers at risk will be hoping that there are repeat winners who won’t eliminate them from the running.
