"It's been way off" - Chase Elliott's crew chief expresses disappointment with NASCAR's decision at Pocono

Chase Elliott's outing at Pocono Raceway was marred by a rare pit road speeding penalty, which took him out of contention for the race win. The #9 Hendrick Motorsports crew chief, Alan Gustafson, was frustrated with the penalty and expressed his disappointment with NASCAR over the radio.

The pit road at Pocono Raceway, particularly section 7, proved problematic for drivers. During pre-race checks, nearly the entire grid was reported for speeding in that zone. In the final stage, drivers including Elliott, Kyle Larson, Daniel Suarez, and Ty Gibbs were caught speeding in the same section and sent to the back of the field.

It was a rare speeding penalty for the 2020 NASCAR Cup champion, Chase Elliott, marking his first in 92 races. Learning of the speeding penalty over the radio, Elliott expressed surprise, maintaining he had not been traveling at an excessive speed on the pit lane.

"I don’t understand with the rest of the day had been okay. I don’t feel like I was that much different," Elliott said over the radio.

Alan Gustafson replied that he was caught speeding 0.16 miles/hr over the limit. Frustrated by the faulty timing in Section 7 that disrupted their race, the #9 HMS crew chief reassured his driver to stay focused and continue competing.

"That zone was way off from the get-go. It’s been way off. You know, you’re just flying blind on it. It’s been wrong, so just don’t focus on it. Unfortunately, they didn’t admit their own fault there," Gustafson said.

Larson was first off the pit road in the final pit-stop cycle, with Elliott in third position. As such, both drivers were in contention for the win. Larson, who was also penalized for speeding, expressed his frustration over the radio, claiming that his dashboard indicated he was under the speed limit.

Lining up at the back of the pack in the final stage, the two Hendrick Motorsports drivers navigated through the wrecks, with Chase Elliott taking home a ninth-place finish, while Larson finished 13th.

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Chase Elliott takes the top spot in the championship standings

Following a dreadful 2023 campaign, Chase Elliott and the #9 Hendrick Motorsports team are back to their old form. With a ninth-place finish at Pocono, Elliott replaced his teammate Kyle Larson for the lead in the regular season standings.

Elliott announced his comeback with a victory at Texas earlier this season and has been the most consistent driver with the best average finish (10.52). Larson, on the other hand, has missed a race but has won three races this season.

With five races remaining in the regular season, Chase Elliott (703) holds the lead with a slender margin of three points over his teammate, Kyle Larson (700). Tyler Reddick (688) sits third in the standings, ahead of 23XI Racing co-owner Denny Hamlin (683).