There is no question that Chase Elliott has struggled in the 2023 season. With the Hendrick Motorsports star missing out on seven races in the ongoing campaign, only a win would have helped his cause at Watkins Glen International on Sunday. Unfortunately, as things turned out, the #9 driver was let down by his team big time.

Safe to say, going into the race at The Glen, Elliott was a favorite. The fact that he had a better average at the track than any other active driver gave him the edge. However, even he wouldn’t have imagined how things panned out at the weekend.

Chase Elliott on the receiving end of Hendrick Motorsports team’s incompetence at Watkins Glen International

In the last seven seasons, never has Chase Elliott once failed to make it to the playoffs. However, things haven’t been the same for him this campaign because of him being sidelined. First with his snowboarding injury and then a single-race suspension.

Having said that, he did well to make a strong comeback but it wasn’t enough to make it to the playoffs solely on the basis of points. A victory was a must and a lot was expected of him at Watkins Glen International. Despite starting 15th in the race, Elliott made a positive start.

He moved up the ladder with time until things took a wild turn in Stage 3. Five laps into the final stage, Elliott’s team informed him that he had two laps after which he needed a fuel refill. However, that looked like a massive misjudgment from the #9 team as the HMS driver ran out of fuel and his car stopped at the bus stop.

Given what was at stake, it was an unforgettable error from crew chief Alan Gustafson and his team. The incident not only raised a caution but practically wrote off any chance Elliott had to make it big at The Glen for the third time in his career. It was a costly error, to say the least.

READ MORE – “He Just Turned White” – Chase Elliott’s Crew Chief Publicly Exposes Golden Boy’s Fatal Error in Championship Season

Naturally, fans around the globe couldn’t fathom what happened. In fact, they were seen quite furious on social media.

Hendrick Motorsports crew chief faces the fans’ wrath as Chase Elliott suffers a miserable moment at The Glen

Safe to say, Chase Elliott has put in impressive work despite missing seven races this season. Had it not been for his injury, it was very likely that he would have easily made it to the playoffs. However, his efforts to earn a playoff berth went in vain after the glaring mistake at The Glen.

His crew chief Alan Gustafson faced a lot of heat for misjudging the situation. In fact, fans expressed their anger on Twitter toward the 48-year-old.

“Anybody can be fucking better than Alan.. the guy can’t do fucking correctly”

“Alan hasn’t been having a good season”

“#firealan… What a dumb ass call by Alan Gustafson… Totally screwed @chaseelliott. 3 laps of reserve??? At the Glenn? Ya sure…”

“Fire Gustafson!”

“You don’t deserve this @chaseelliott  demand a new Crew Chief.”

It is certainly a pity to witness what happened with Elliott. Most importantly, only a Daytona win could now turn things around for the HMS driver. Surely, Rick Hendrick would be looking deeply into The Glen incident. What should the right decision in this case be? Let us know in the comments below.

WATCH THIS STORY: Chase Elliott Calls Out Hendrick Motorsports Revealing What Lost Him the Race