“Stop saying William Byron replaced Jeff Gordon. Chase Elliott drove that car 2 years”: NASCAR fans slam Fox for reporting incorrect facts

NASCAR fans were furious after Fox presented incorrect facts about Chase Elliott during the broadcast of The Great American Race on the Daytona International Speedway.

The Daytona 500 race aired on Fox, MRN, and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio. During the race, Fox cited Hendrick Motorsports driver William Byron as Jeff Gordon's replacement driving the #24 Chevrolet.

When Gordon announced his retirement from full-time racing in 2016, the then 19-year-old Chase Elliott took charge of taming his #24 car on the track. Two years down the line, Byron entered the Hendrick Motorsports garage and was handed the #24 car. Elliott has since driven the #9 Chevrolet.

Technically, Jeff Gordon's car was initially handed to Elliott for two years before passing it to Byron. It is widely considered that the now #9 driver was the primary person to replace Gordon, not Byron.

Fans took to social media to rubbish the broadcaster's wrongful claim. One fan took a direct jibe at Fox for their inaccurate reporting and corrected them, saying:

"So Fox gone forget the fact Chase Elliott replaced Jeff Gordon in the 24 in 2016…. Then in 2018 William Byron took over the 24, as Chase went to the 9…"

Another fan set the record straight with what happened in the HMS garage:

"Holy shit stop saying Byron replaced Jeff Gordon in the 24, he didn't. Chase Elliott drove that car 2 years."

Here are some more reactions from the fans who corrected the broadcaster's claims:

A handful of fans took a jibe at Chase Elliott for his unimpressive tenure in the #24 Chevrolet:

Chase Elliott's Daytona 500 outing concluded on a displeasing note

Elliot secured the P5 spot in The Great American Race's lineup and aced Stage 1 with his P1 finish. However, later in the race, the HMS driver's position plummeted, and he settled for P14 as the competition ended.

Reflecting on his subpar Daytona 500 stint, Elliott explained to motorsports journalist Kelly Price the factors that went wrong moments before the final lap. He said:

"I made a mistake. I saw Kyle [Busch] who was coming really hard on top, and I tried to pick his lane up, and he gave me a big shove. I thought I could sneak back to the middle, and the #20 [Christopher Bell] was wanting to be there too."

Elliott added:

"I'm not sure I would've got to the front row, but certainly would've been a better finish than where we ended up. So hate that, but had a solid day otherwise, happy for William [Byron]."