Dale Earnhardt Jr. SLAMS fans and critics for chastising Chase Elliott for not making it to the Playoffs

Chase Elliott won the NASCAR Cup Series in 2020.

Dale Earnhardt Jr. SLAMS fans and critics for chastising Chase Elliott for not making it to the Playoffs

Dale Earnhardt Jr. (Credits: Outsider) and Chase Elliott (Credits: Hendrick Motorsports)

Hendrick Motorsports driver Chase Elliott has been under the radar of many after missing out on a spot in the Playoffs this season. He ended this season in 20th place in the standings, while two of his other three teammates, namely William Byron and Kyle Larson, have secured their spot in the postseason. Recently, Dale Earnhardt Jr. came to Elliot and HMS’ defense, seeing the hate they have been getting.

Elliott and his crew chief, Alan Gustafson, were the target of many negative comments on social media regarding their missing out on the Playoffs. The words were particularly targeted at their fuel management, as Elliott had run out of fuel at Watkins Glen. Earnhardt Jr. claimed that no one, especially Gustafson, was at fault for the mishap. He said that Elliott had missed out on several races and was even suspended for an event, but that does not mean Gustafson is the one to blame.

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“He did everything we asked him to do leading up to the playoffs. But no he will not be racing for a championship this year. And I don’t think it’s anybody’s fault. I keep seeing all this crap about Alan (Gustafson) what the hell is wrong?,” Earnhardt Jr. said on his podcast.

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Chase Elliott takes the blame for a nightmare season

Chase Elliott
Chase Elliott (Credits: AZCentral)

Chase Elliott probably had his career-worst season in 2023. As he missed out on a spot in the post-season, the 2020 champion is surely not very happy with how his season culminated. From injuries to a race ban involving Denny Hamlin, Elliott had a season to forget. As the post-season looks to kick off, Elliott has come clean on what has been the reason behind this upsetting result.

Elliott put the blame solely on himself. As his teammates like Kyle Larson and William Byron have done very well in their cars, Elliott said it would not be right for him to blame his car. He said that his focus is now to work on extracting better pace from the #9 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1.

“To be frank, I don’t think the cars are the problem. Look at how William (Byron), Kyle (Larson), and Alex (Bowman) have run at various points throughout the season, and I just don’t think (the cars) are the excuse… I think I can be better to extract pace out of the car and that’s what I’m going to work on,” said Elliott, as reported by Sportsnaut.

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