“Throw Someone Under the Bus” – Denny Hamlin Declares Chase Elliott Guilty as He Opposes Fans for Blaming Alan Gustafson

In a shocking turn of events at the Watkins Glen Cup Series race, Chase Elliott’s dream of victory was shattered due to an unprecedented fuel miscalculation. The race that promised a triumphant must-win scenario for the talented driver transformed into a nightmarish episode. This shocking error shattered his hopes of a strong finish and forced him to play catch-up from a staggering lap down. The racing world stood bewildered, seeking answers for such a colossal mishap.

The incident that left the #9 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 driver laps down and the Hendrick Motorsports team in disarray has ignited a storm of opinions, with Jared Allen and Hamlin’s recent podcast remarks throwing more fuel onto the fiery controversy.

Blame Game Escalates: Hamlin Questions Elliott’s Role in Crucial Misstep

During his podcast ‘Actions Detrimental,’ Hamlin took the opportunity to sound out the HMS team. The Joe Gibbs Racing Driver’s determination to unearth the truth led him to a pivotal moment: listening to the audio communication between Chase Elliott and his crew. The revelation was astonishing. The #9 driver had been instructed to switch fuel pumps after running on fumes for around 10 laps. The critical instruction was to make the switch and then come in on the third lap after the switch. However, Hamlin’s recounting of the communication highlighted the baffling oversight. While blame was initially directed towards Alan Gustafson, Hamlin questioned why the 2020 NASCAR Cup Series champion himself hadn’t intervened.

“It’s hard not to throw someone under the bus here except for the entire team. People want to pin this on Alan Gustafson. You can try. He is the leader. He’s responsible. But where’s Chase Elliott in this? I mean, he’s experienced enough. If Chris, I’m sorry, I shouldn’t say. If Chris Gabehart said to me flip your switch and then come a third time by, I immediately would have said, are you? That’s not right. I would have said that’s not right. It’s not the third time. I can’t go that far. I know I cannot go that far. That’s just… that’s elementary.” 

“So they said it multiple times, and why was it not a red flag to anyone that was hearing it. They have a war room of people that listen to the communication as well. They’re recording all the audio they’d, hey Alan, that’s not right. He needs to come next time. I just find it so extremely bizarre.” Denny stated with frustration.

Hamlin speculated on the unheard conversations, the raised eyebrows, and the missed opportunities to rectify the blunder before it spiraled out of control. He highlighted the presence of a team of individuals monitoring and recording audio transmissions, suggesting that someone should have detected the error and rectified it.

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But Denny did not just stop the discussion by blaming the entire #9 team; he applauded their crew chief. 

Analyzing the Silence: Hamlin Commends Chase Elliott Crew Chief’s Discretion Amidst Media Storm

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Hamlin admired Alan’s decision not to discuss the incident with the media, acknowledging that internal struggles were better kept within the team. Reflecting on the incident, the 3 times Daytona 500 winner acknowledged his dual role as a media participant and a racer, pledging to offer an opinion based on the available facts.

“I applaud Alan; he didn’t want to talk. He was leaving the racetrack. You know, Dustin, some of those guys, and I saw at the front stretch, and Bob Pockrass is basically walking behind him. Alan refuses to stop, but he talks, and it’s just like, listen, I’m not going to air out in the media. What? How? We mess this up. We know what our struggle was internally. We know what happened.”

“But today, I’m part of the media, so I have to talk about it. I’m going to use all the facts that I’ve got in front of me to give my opinion of it. It could be. I don’t know the internal communications that they had that we didn’t hear right. But from my standpoint, I found it crazy to believe that not the driver or anyone was not surprised hearing that statement there. There has to be some sort of trigger that this is not right.” Hamlin further added.

In the end, Denny conceded that the internal workings of the team might have involved communication nuances that listeners weren’t privy to. However, from his vantage point, he found it implausible that neither the driver nor anyone else expressed surprise or concern over the flawed instructions, urging more vigilant communication protocols.

READ MORE: Chase Elliott’s Absence From the Playoff Could Be an Expensive Ordeal for Hendrick Motorsports