"I've never seen anything like that"- Chase Elliott shocked by the unusual sight at Bristol as he seals his season-best triumph

Hendrick Motorsports driver Chase Elliott was astonished by the unexpected display at the Bristol Motor Speedway.

The Food City 500 marked the fifth race on the 2024 NASCAR Cup Series calendar. Joe Gibbs Racing driver Ty Gibbs reigned supreme in the first two stages, but his teammate Denny Hamlin was the one who etched the victory under his name.

HMS' weekend ended on a pleasing note as the team collected two top-5s, Alex Bowman in fourth and Kyle Larson in fifth, as well as a top-10 finish by Chase Elliot. The #9 Chevrolet driver's dismal start to the season was disrupted by his Bristol run that concluded with a satisfying P8.

However, during his 500-lap dash, Elliott came across an uncommon sighting that caught him off guard. The Georgian native witnessed a massive amount of debris on the 0.533-mile track which was way more than he could've possibly foreseen.

The 28-year-old's radio communication was shared by FOX: NASCAR on X (formerly Twitter), wherein, Chase Elliott's astonishment from what he just saw on one of the high-bankings is evident.

"The marbles [tire debris] are freaking wild. I've never seen anything like that here in my time," said Elliott.

Denny Hamlin hints at an efflux in NASCAR rating that could surpass Chase Elliott's media-garnering effect

The JGR driver sealed his maiden win of the season after dethroning Martin Truex Jr. at the 500-lap run. With his one top-5, two top-10s, and the Food City 500 victory, Hamlin has climbed up in the driver's ranking from P8 to P5.

Shortly after his win, the 43-year-old unraveled that when he noticed the race was all about tire management, he saw a favorable outcome for the team as the race neared its conclusion. But there was another thing that caught Hamlin's attention- the exponential surge in the current season's NASCAR ratings.

In 2023, Hamlin, a Florida native, reflected on Chase Elliott's six-week absence from NASCAR due to a snowboarding incident which significantly impacted the sport's ratings and viewership, as the sport experienced a decline.

However, he believes that things have changed now and the rating could surge irrespective of the HMS driver's presence. During the Actions Detrimental Podcast, Hamlin put forth his view, saying:

"I think, generally speaking, we've got some good momentum with the ratings. Now we are starting to get into where you also have to have an asterisk is that we're getting into the non-Chase Elliott races from last year."

He added:

"The rating last year declined 10% on average when Chase was not in the race, so we should see a bump regardless of that."