The one win that Chase Elliot will never forget is the one he technically didn’t win. The Tricky Triangle really had some tricks up its sleeve as Chase Elliott got declared the winner at Pocono in 2022. Had his teammates as well as the top-2 finishers Denny Hamlin and Kyle Busch not been disqualified due to discrepancies discovered during post-race inspection, Elliott would have been third. No wonder Elliott didn’t celebrate his win.  

Now, the mud that this DQing slung at Denny Hamlin is something he wouldn’t want to remember. But fans of the 2020 Cup Series are set on a mission to not let that happen. A year since the Pocono race that created much uproar, NASCAR on NBC took to Twitter to post a video that waged war between Chase Elliot and Denny Hamlin fans. 

Chase Elliott – 1, Denny Hamlin – 0

Fans can be quite brutal when they want to be. The post that NASCAR on NBC tweeted roused an onslaught of Elliott fans that Hamlin fans were not prepared for. The post showed a 2022 video of Hamlin disappointedly having a meal beside the M&M’s Fan Appreciation 400 trophy.

Elliott was seen taking a sip from a champagne flute, that is, the bottle he was awarded initially when he was declared the winner. What followed was a series of comments from NASCAR fans who seem to be still salty about the way Hamlin tried to win the race. 

Comments like “Damn how you gonna drink Mr. Elliott’s champagne like that?” and “Suck it Hamlin!!! Chase Elliott’s Team deserved it more because they didn’t cheat for that race” followed suit. The sudden declaration of Elliott as the winner of the race had not given him a chance to celebrate his win, nor did he want to.

Calling it an unprecedented occurrence in NASCAR, Elliott had then revealed, “I mean there’s other forms of racing that do a post-race tech type thing. I’ve been, you know, familiar with or part of in the past where it’s gone on the opposite way for me too. So, been on both ends of that. But, yeah, definitely not how you want to win. But I guess just add that half-mark to the win column. We’ll take it.”

Watch this story: 23XI co-owner Denny Hamlin favors rival’s Trackhouse Racing driver over his own driver Bubba Wallace

In Elliott’s mind, he was beaten to the chase by Hamlin and Busch. But fans are bent on avenging the prize that is rightfully Elliott’s. Further, comments like “Where’s his Championship tho?” and “Cheat Hamlin..  Check the SMT data 😭” show that fans are very much aware of what happened, and have gone through the evidence to confirm. They didn’t shirk from taking a dig at his lack of a Championship trophy for the same. 

The roles got reversed in 2023

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Unlike Hamlin, 2023 has been a winless season for Chase so far. He’s missed out on 6 races because of an injury, as well as one more due to a disqualification. In the Coca-Cola 600 race held at Charlotte Motor Speedway, the Hendrick Motorsports ace was disqualified for one race by NASCAR for purposefully crashing into Hamlin’s #11 Toyota Camry. Talk about things coming full circle.

The crash had caused Hamlin to finish at 35th. This was a blow for Elliott, whose season performance is increasingly causing a furor among fans. Nevertheless, it is admirable to see the loyalty of Elliott’s fanbase. Despite Chase’s less-than-satisfactory performance this year, fans are still rejoicing about the fact that he got the win he deserves at Pocono last year. 

As the 2023 Pocono race weekend nears, the fans’ unsaid hope and question are palpable. Will the Tricky Triangle finally break Elliott’s losing spell this year?

Read more: “Don’t Think I’ve Done a Great Job” – Despite Breaking the Curse Last Season, Chase Elliott Expresses Doubts About Nightmare Track