Joe Gibbs Racing had a great weekend at Pocono Raceway, finishing 1-2 at The Tricky Triangle. However, happiness was short-lived for the team as the post-race start saw both cars eliminated. A small piece of transparent masking tape immediately washed away their happiness.
However, the JGR chose not to challenge the ineligibility.
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Denny Hamlin He saw his victory in the race taken from him, and Kyle Bush P2 is no longer. Therefore, the JGR competition director released a file statement Talk about the topic and apologize for the error.
“In our review of post-race bumps on 11 and 18 cars in the Pocono, we discovered that a single piece of clear tape was placed over each of the lower front corners in front of the front left and right. Wheel vents on both cars.
“This change to the build process has not been properly vetted within our organization, and we understand that it is against NASCAR rules. We apologize to everyone for this mistake, and we’ve made changes to our processes to ensure it doesn’t happen again.“
And sure enough, fans were confused and outraged by NASCAR’s move to disqualify both drivers over a piece of tape.
This is kinda silly. Can a 12/1000th of an inch piece of faucet change the air enough to make a difference? I highly doubt
This is Mickey Mouse pen.
– Duncan Miller cc (@unclemilty6691) 25 July 2022
I find it hard to believe that a piece of tape less than a third of a millimeter thick would affect anything. Where is the innovation in the race now? What can teams do to get faster? Are you supposed to sit back and lose time and time again? But it’s better to throw the book at them like RFK
Dustin Babb (@BabbDustin) 25 July 2022
To be honest if they actually search their HMS/TRACK HOUSE, they will get DQd every week
No way they are much faster than the other teams every week
But since they’re both a NASCAR favorite and a media favourite, he won’t see much of a pit as the chase gets another championship 🙄
– TheSaltyOne (@FOPTonyReed) 25 July 2022
Wow, two cuts on four pieces of duct tape? tape?? NASCAR must be kidding.
– Bill Reeves (@bilraia) 25 July 2022
I still can’t believe Tweet embed
DQ will for having two small pieces of vinyl on the bumper. I feel sorry for the fans who had to sit all through the race and watch someone celebrate a win just to DQ them for their insignificance. A waste of the day. Then all Elliott fans missed any celebration.– Esteban Longdyk (@RacingFourJesus) 25 July 2022
Do you think it was a fair punishment?
Dive deeper
The dismissals of Denny Hamlin and Kyle Busch have turned into a happy day for Hendrik Motorsport
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JGR’s day was definitely an unfortunate one. But their loss appears to have been Hendrick Motorsports’ gain. Amid it all, we saw the 2020 Cup Series champion, Chase Elliott, clinch his fourth win of the season.
This made Chase Elliott the driver with the most wins this season. Moreover, he is more than 100 points ahead of the second driver in the standings. Definitely, great race so far for the #9 car.
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Watch this story: From Hamlin to Dale Earnhardt Jr. Danica Patrick, NASCAR’s most bitter runner
But, at the end of the day, the series ends in November, and Elliott will have to maintain that lead until round four. So, do you think he will take the championship this year?