Dale Earnhardt Jr. explains why Chase Elliott suspension is worst-case scenario for NASCAR
Dale Earnhardt Jr. recognizes NASCAR wasn’t in an enviable position regarding the drama between Denny Hamlin and Chase Elliott
During this week’s edition of the Dale Jr Download, the NASCAR Hall of Famer explained why NASCAR suspending Elliott for Gateway this weekend was their worst case scenario, even if the Hendrick Motorsports star left them without a choice.
“I thought to myself, I was like, Man, if Chase was still rolling, I wonder if NASCAR would’ve looked at that data in the moment, not waited. I wonder if they would ever be in a scenario where they look at the data within the moment, and park Chase during the race. That would’ve probably been preferable for Chase, and for NASCAR,” wondered Earnhardt Jr.
“NASCAR would rather say, ‘Hey man, put your a– in the garage. Take your punishment. Let that be the deal.’ We damn sure don’t want to park Chase at St. Louis. Connected to the ratings or not, whether you believe that or not, the ratings were certainly different when Chase wasn’t in the race. All of the Xfinity guys are in Portland. That’s logistically, that’s a nightmare, for anybody that they think needs to drive this car. So it puts everybody in a bit of a tough situation.”
It makes sense to believe NASCAR would’ve much preferred to have parked Elliott for the remainder of the Coca-Cola 600, instead of their hand being forced and having to park the former NASCAR champion for this weekend’s showdown.
First off, as Earnhardt Jr. harkened back to, Elliott already missed a bevy of races due to a leg injury he suffered off the track. During the weeks Elliott was out, NASCAR’s ratings severely declined compares to last year, and they’ve since improved with Elliott back in the fold.
Additionally, Elliott is the sport’s most popular driver, and his rabid fanbase will come out in droves at Gateway. Now, they’ll be denied their chance to see their favorite take the track after spending their hard earned money.
Nevertheless, Elliott left NASCAR with no choice, especially after they suspended Bubba Wallace for a similar incident last season. Hamlin certainly wasn’t going to let it go, and it would’ve been a terrible look for NASCAR to let Elliott go scotch free.
Dale Earnhardt Jr. is right, this is NASCAR’s worst case scenario, but at least it’ll only be for one weekend, and then Chase Elliott and Denny Hamlin could continue to hash it out at Sonoma.