NASCAR's DVP policy faces scrutiny from Chase Elliott as HMS star demands points reconsideration

Chase Elliott argued the final points after the Talladega race should be reconsidered. He told NASCAR veteran reporter Bob Pockrass that he met the Damaged Vehicle Policy’s (DVP) minimum speed while some drivers who finished ahead did not.

Elliott pilots the No. 9 Chevrolet Camaro for Hendrick Motorsports. He finished 29th at the YellaWood 500 at Talladega Superspeedway but was five laps down after getting caught in the record-breaking 28-car wreck on lap 184.

During a post-race interview, Elliott said he was curious to see how the DVP would play out considering two drivers did not make speed.

“I’m really curious to see how they police the DVP thing because not all the cars that got fixed made, you know, got themselves off a DVP. So I think it’s really important to at least get their scoring right because our guys did a good job to get our car fixed and we met minimum speed, which if the race was not in green-white checker situation, they would’ve been parked and we would’ve kept going,” Elliott stated.

The 2020 NASCAR Cup Series champion added that the final scoring should be reconsidered.

“You know, I hope there’s some scoring scenario that makes that right.”

According to the rules, cars that don’t meet the DVP’s minimum speed after three consecutive laps are parked.

However, the race at The Brickyard was resumed under a two-lap green-white-checkered flag. As such, the two cars ahead of Chase Elliott that didn’t meet the minimum speed weren’t parked, which is why the HMS driver believes a change in scoring should be made.

Elliott got 17 points for his efforts at Talladega Superspeedway. He dropped from 7th to 8th in the NASCAR Cup Series Playoff standings and is currently +13 above the cutline. Below him in 9th is Joey Logano who is on the brink of elimination and -13 to the line.

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Chase Elliott was among the drivers caught in the record-breaking Big One at Talladega

Chase Elliott was one of the 28 drivers collected in the record-breaking Big One at Talladega Superspeedway.

Elliott was running fourth when the lead No. 2 car of Austin Cindric was hit from behind by Brad Keselowski and spun out with five laps remaining. Cindric collected Elliott on his way out before causing the Big One. The accident involved several playoff contenders such as Joey Logano, Chase Briscoe, and Alex Bowman.

Ricky Stenhouse Jr. was also hit in P2 but managed to keep the four wheels of his No. 47 Chevy planted on the track. He crossed the checkered flag first ahead of Keselowski by only 0.006 seconds.

Elliott’s Hendrick Motorsports teammates William Byron and Kyle Larson finished in P3 and P4 respectively, with Legacy Motor Club’s Erik Jones rounding up the top five. Byron scored enough points to lock himself in the Round of 8.

Chase Elliott will fight for a spot in the next round in the upcoming race at Charlotte Motor Speedway Road Course. He is at risk of getting eliminated by drivers below the cutline including Joey Logano (-13), Daniel Suarez (-20), Austin Cindric (-29), and Chase Briscoe (-32).