Chase Elliott, like everyone else watching Sunday’s NASCAR Cup Series race at Pocono, believed when it ended that he had finished third behind the Joe Gibbs Racing cars of Denny Hamlin and Kyle Busch. A matter of hours after crossing the finish line and not leading a single lap, the Hendrick Motorsports driver was declared the victor when NASCAR disqualified the two JGR cars that finished ahead of him.
Fans took to Twitter about whether or not the Dawsonville Pool Room, which has sounded a siren for decades every time an Elliott wins, would be following its tradition on Sunday night after the modified results.
NASCAR warned its teams it was serious about stamping out a culture of cheating that stretched back to its roots and let illegitimate race winners often walk away unscathed with nothing worse than a fine or a few docked points for the team.
But the drivers always kept the trophy and added the number in the win column.
No more and not again. NASCAR carried out its stiffest punishment against a race winner in more than 60 years when it stripped Joe Gibbs Racing's Denny Hamlin of his Pocono Raceway victory and teammate Kyle Busch of his runner-up finish.
JGR didn't bother to fight the penalties, declining Monday to take the matter to an appeals panel.