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Chase Elliott was announced the official winner of the M&M’s Fan Appreciation 400 at the Pocono Raceway after Denny Hamlin and Kyle Busch were disqualified following an issue found in the front facia of the #18 and #19 car during the post-race inspection.
Hamlin and Busch initially took the checkered flag in first and second place respectively on Sunday. After the completion of the races, #18 and #11 cars were inspected and unwanted material was found which should not have been in the veteran duo’s car according to NASCAR rules. According to NASCAR's rule book, both drivers were disqualified from Sunday’s race as Hamlin credited P35 and Busch credited a P36.
The disqualification meant Chase Elliott, who initially finished third, was declared the official winner of Sunday’s Cup race at Pocono Raceway. The win marked Elliott’s fourth of the season and 17th victory of his NASCAR Cup Series career.
The Georgia-born driver has been in brilliant form since Nashville Superspeedway as he has earned three victories and two P2 finishes in the last five races
It was the first time a Cup Series race winner has been disqualified for failing to complete a post-race inspection since NASCAR implemented harsher post-race inspection penalties in 2019.
On Twitter, NASCAR announced the official winner after a successful post-race inspection at Pocono Raceway.
See the Tweet below:
The M&M’s Fan Appreciation 400 saw 15 lead changes among ten different drivers. The venue hosted its 49th Cup race and the new Next Gen cars for the first time on the 2.5-mile-long track and witnessed nine caution flags.
Chase Elliott holds the top position in the points table standings
With Ross Chastain and Ryan Blaney failing to finish the race as they were involved in late-race accidents, Chase Elliott maintained a huge 105-point lead to Chastain and a 111-point lead over Blaney in the Cup Series points table standings.
With Pocono’s win, Elliott gained 53 points and stands atop the standings with 787 points, four wins, and eight top-fives.
The NASCAR Cup Series returns next weekend for Verizon 200 at the Brickyard at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. The action will go live at 2:30 p.m. EST on Sunday, July 31, 2022.
