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Hendrick Motorsports driver Chase Elliott secured his first win of the 2022 season on Sunday’s DuraMAX Drydene 400 at Dover Motor Speedway. Within minutes, people on social media were claiming that Elliott’s win at Dover had come with illegal assistance.
It looks like some sharp-sighted observers have seen a piece of red tape on the Elliott’s No. 9 Chevrolet grille after the completion of the race.
Several people wanted Chase Elliott disqualified or simply demanded an answer. While several started posting conspiracy theories about prohibited help.
Meanwhile, many fans who saw the piece of tape tweeted to motor sports journalist Bob Pockrass. He made inquiries and came up with clarity.
Pockrass said it was checked in with some from a non-Chevrolet team and confirmed that it looked like a piece of tape that came off the track.
He went on to say that this piece of tape can make the performance worse, and not help win the race. Pockrass said:
“I know there have been questions about this piece of tape on Elliott grille. Checked in with someone from a non-Chevy organization and was told it looks like a piece of tape that came off the track (not placed by team) and if anything, it would make performance worse, not better.”
See the Tweet below:
In the end, it was enough to stop talk of some sort of conspiracy to allow Elliott to end his 26-race winless streak.
Chase Elliott emerged victorious in a nail-biter at Dover Motor Speedway
Driving the No. 9 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 Chase Elliott earned his first win of the ongoing Cup Series season in Monday's race at Dover Motor Speedway.
Elliott emerged victorious in an action-packed race when he took the lead on the final restart, on lap 348 of 400, after fighting hard against last week's winner Ross Chastain. He maintained the lead in the final 53 laps and held onto it.
During the post-race interview, Elliott spoke about the win and went on to say:
“Just so proud. This one means a lot in a lot of different ways. Just appreciate all the effort. But thanks to all the fans for coming out. You’re always awesome. Hope to see this big crowd here next year. Just a huge thanks to everybody involved. It’s been a fun day and we’re certainly going to enjoy.”
The 26-year-old Georgia-native will be seeing action next weekend for Goodyear 400 at Darlington Raceway. Coverage will go live at 3:30 p.m. EST on Sunday, May 8.
