As the South Point 400 revs up at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, NASCAR’s Most Popular driver, and Hendrick Motorsports’ poster boy, Chase Elliott, finds himself under intense playoff pressure. Trailing by 14 points, the 2020 Cup Series champion driver knows his championship hopes hinge on this critical Round of 8 opener.
Yet, despite his precarious playoff position, Elliott didn’t shy away from critique. When asked about last weekend’s ROVAL race and the ongoing Denny Hamlin-related race manipulation debates, he subtly took a jibe at NASCAR over its ever-changing rules.
Chase Elliott Addresses Hamlin-ROVAL Controversy; Questions NASCAR’s Ever-Changing Rules
Fans were at the edge of their seats at Charlotte ROVAL after the No. 1 Chevrolet of Ross Chastain got into the No. 11 Toyota of Hamlin, thus knocking the Trackhouse Racing driver out of playoff contention. This gave reigning Cup Series champion Joey Logano the final Round of Eight berth.
Behind the wheel of the Joe Gibbs Racing Camry, the 44-year-old was doing mental math at triple-digit speeds on the final lap, trying to figure out who he wanted moving forward. His plan? Pass Chastain but still keep him ahead of Logano, the bigger threat with three championships in the last seven years.
With Chastain holding a slim two-point lead over the Penske ace going into the final lap, Hamlin’s strategy made sense: finish ahead of Chastain while ensuring Logano fell short, clearing the path for the Round of Eight. Following last year’s Martinsville controversy, NASCAR has been closely monitoring the field, keeping a watchful eye on teams’ radios for any signs of race manipulation.
The plot thickened when Hamlin shared his thoughts on the final-lap incident, with some immediately questioning whether manipulation was at play. When asked about the incident and his thoughts on it, Elliott, Hamlin’s old nemesis, made his stance clear. Instead of throwing the veteran under the bus, he took a jab at the sanctioning body.
“I don’t know where the line is with all the rules and things we have in place nowadays,” he quipped, taking aim at NASCAR, during his pre-race presser at Vegas. “I’m not sure. Fortunately for us, we weren’t in that position, and hopefully we can put ourselves in a similar spot this round and not have to worry about any of that stuff. I mean that’s the goal.”
NASCAR currently enforces strict rules prohibiting teams from discussing points with drivers unless they are outside the cutoff line. Elliott is currently 14 points below the cutline, and a win at Vegas’ intermediate track could forever reshape the order and secure his bid for a second title.
With NASCAR on high alert and the remaining playoff contenders ready to strike at any moment, fans can expect far more than just racing drama in Sin City.