The Pocono Raceway lived up to its legacy this time around as well, delivering a NASCAR race that was a real nail-biter! From emotional driver tributes to controversial penalties, this track threw everything at competitors and spectators alike. While some celebrated their highs, others weren’t too happy with the outcomes. And one of them was Chase Elliott’s crew chief.

Chase Elliott has had a lot of streaks that have made headlines this year. Back in April, when he won in Texas, he broke a 42-race winless streak. While he may have been happy to have broken that one, the same can’t be said for another one. Before the race at Pocono, NASCAR’s golden boy, Elliott, had a record that would make even the biggest champions envious, a herculean no-penalty streak – a staggering 92 races without a pit road speeding penalty! This is a testament to his talent and precision while driving in the pit lane!

However, just like a spanner in the works, this incredible streak broke after the No.9 driver raced through a tricky section of pit road (Section 7, to be precise). In the heat of competition, it seems Elliott, along with a few other racers, got a bit too comfortable and exceeded the speed limit by a hair, resulting in a penalty by NASCAR that may not have knocked him out of contention for the win, but certainly took away his record before he could even question it.

Hearing this, Chase Elliott’s crew chief and Hendrick Motorsports veteran Alan Gustafson wasn’t too happy with the NASCAR officials. Slamming down on them and calling the designated speeding zones’ unfair,’ he argued that it wasn’t right for just these top drivers to be penalized for something that seemed a bit questionable. During an interview, as reported by Jonathan Fjeld on X, he said, “The zones are all wrong. It’s not fair that we’re taking so much sh*t for it.”

Even Chase Elliott was bewildered by the news. Talking about the penalty, the No.9 driver said, “I don’t understand why the rest of the day, I’ve been OK [in that section]. I don’t think I did that much different,” unable to understand why he got flagged after seemingly navigating that same section perfectly throughout the race. It is a real head-scratcher and truly came off as a one-sided punishment. Speaking of punishments and penalties, Elliott escaped one for his actions in Chicago. But Bubba Wallace couldn’t say the same.

During last weekend’s race, Chase Elliott and Daniel Suarez were fighting for a top-15 finish. However, they collided, and as a result, Elliott finished 21st. On the cool-down lap, the HMS driver chased Suarez down but didn’t make contact with his car. However, in a separate incident during the race, Bubba Wallace and race-winner Alex Bowman came together, making the 23XI driver furious. Unlike Elliott, after Wallace went side-by-side with Bowman on the cool-down lap, he pushed the 31-year-old into the wall, receiving a $50,000 fine for his actions.

Commenting on the fine in Pocono, Elliott said, “I don’t really think he should have been fined. I understand, but man, you’re getting in the weeds with some of that stuff, and nobody was hurt. It was unfortunate, I guess… I didn’t see it to be a huge deal.” As for his non-incident with Suarez, Elliott didn’t get fined, which the Trackhouse Racing driver felt was because they didn’t make contact.

That said, remember how we mentioned Chase Elliott’s streaks. Although he may have broken two long ones this year, he would hope the third one doesn’t meet the same fate. Why? Because that’s his no DNFs record! In 2024, Elliott (who finished 9th in Pocono) and Martin Truex Jr are the only drivers who haven’t gotten a DNF. And right now, that makes the HMS driver the leader in consecutive race finishes (34).

Coming back to the streak he broke in Pocono – all to do with speeding in the pitlane – the question arises. Since Elliott felt he didn’t do anything different on the lap where did get the penalty, were the drivers actually speeding, or was it just bad luck?

Drivers leave Pocono Raceway questioning their skills

This particular zone had been causing trouble for most of the drivers on the track, and everyone knew it was a sensitive area. Joining Chase Elliott in this penalty purgatory were Kyle Larson, Ty Gibbs, and Daniel Suarez. Despite there being 33 other drivers who showcased the same on the pit road, the real blow was delivered to just the four of them! Which was unfair, according to many. And Elliott wasn’t the only one confused by NASCAR’s verdict.

His teammate, Kyle Larson, also opened up about the punishment. He stated that he wasn’t sure why he got the penalty, emphasizing that he didn’t think he was speeding. “I’m not sure yet. I’ll have to talk to the team. I think it sounds like, yeah, section 7 is different, maybe, than it was in the past. Bit of a bummer, just ’cause I didn’t push it. I didn’t push it over our max. Like I never thought I would be speeding.” That really is a bummer for the No.5 driver, with only five more races to go, when every single point matters.

Nonetheless, it seems now that Chase Elliott’s incredible run is officially over. This whole situation has left him and the HMS team fuming. The real question is: Can they bounce back and get back to where they belong – at the front of the pack before the playoffs?