"He was pretty kind" - Chase Elliott on Denny Hamlin-Ross Chastain clash at Pocono Raceway

Chase Elliott, who crossed the finish line in P3, was later announced the winner of the Pocono Raceway when Denny Hamlin and Kyle Busch, the top-two finishers of the race, were disqualified following a post-race inspection.

Following the unexpected victory, Elliott took part in a Zoom teleconference on Monday where he also spoke about the clash between Hamlin and Ross Chastain that took place on 142 of 160 laps. The Hendrick Motorsports driver, who had a clear view of their contact in Turn 1, said:

“I honestly thought Denny [Hamlin] was pretty nice about it. He did run him up the track a little bit but he still left him some room there on exit after it was all said and done. I thought all things considered, he [Hamlin] was pretty kind about what went on there.”

The green flag was waved with 18 laps remaining on Sunday at Pocono Raceway and Hamlin and Chastain went at each other while battling for the lead. Hamlin’s #11 took the inside position and declined to give Chastain any room, which led to the #1 car to hit the outside wall, leading him to the spin and bringing out another caution.

Chastain was done for the day and Hamlin did not look back as he crossed the checkered flag first.

It was the third time this season that the duo has been involved in an accident after they clashed at World Wide Technology Raceway and Atlanta Motor Speedway.

---

Chase Elliott did not celebrate his Pocono win after two Joe Gibbs Racing drivers failed post-race inspection

The disqualification of Hamlin and Busch gave Chase Elliott his fourth victory of the 2022 season, the most won by any driver this season. Despite winning the M&M’s Fan Appreciation 400 at Pocono Raceway, Elliott didn’t celebrate Sunday's race like his other wins.

Speaking to the media, the Georgia-born driver revealed that it wasn’t right to celebrate someone else's misfortunes as it was not something he was going to boast about. Elliott said:

“I don’t really know that it’s a win that I’m going to celebrate anyway. For me, I don’t really feel right celebrating someone else’s misfortune, number one…It’s not necessarily something I’m proud of or something I’m going to boast about.’’

With four wins and 787 points, Elliott sits strong at the top of the Cup Series standings. His dominance continues to show race after race. Chase Elliott will be seen in action for Verizon 200 at the Brickyard on Sunday, July 31, 2022.