NASCAR Spotter’s “Chance to Rebrand” Take On Chase Elliott Called Out by Fans: “Dude Has the Personality of a Wet Napkin”

There are more than a few reasons to look forward to NASCAR coming to Sonoma Raceway this weekend. But for Chase Elliott fans, there’s an extra reason or two to look forward to Sunday’s race. Because not only is their favorite driver returning from his one-race suspension, but Sonoma would also be an opportunity for Elliott to shut out the criticism from those who doubt him.

Elliott was suspended by NASCAR after he was found guilty of intentionally wrecking Denny Hamlin at Charlotte a couple of weeks ago. This meant he had to sit out last weekend’s race at WWT Raceway, a suspension which not only hit his playoff chances but also how he is perceived.

So when he’ll take on the field at Sonoma, the Hendrick Motorsports driver would hope to finish as high as he can for both reasons. However, a part of the NASCAR fanbase doesn’t necessarily share that opinion.

Fans disagree with spotter Brett Griffin’s opinion of Chase Elliott

Ahead of the Cup race at Sonoma, spotter Brett Griffin shared his take on Chase Elliott’s comeback as he made some predictions about his finish in the race as well as what that finish could mean besides a good result.

“A top 5 would be solid. Only 2 passing zones. Track position key. Curious how he handles the media. Would love to see him be himself more this weekend. Nice chance to rebrand and grow his fan base,” Griffin claimed.

Yet some fans in his comments weren’t exactly in agreement with his opinion, especially the part about Elliott growing his fan base.

 

What is he though? Dude has the personality of a wet napkin.

— Jeff (@Jeff58164506) June 9, 2023

Grow his fan base? 😂

— Brandon (@NASCAR4Junkie) June 9, 2023

He will act like it didn’t happened and take no questions. Mr. Personality😂

— Mark Saylor (@saylor_mar55802) June 9, 2023

He has the opposite of charisma.

— Coussin Gonflable (@JimGoodwine) June 9, 2023

Rick Hendrick touches upon Elliott’s decision to wreck Hamlin at Charlotte

As his driver prepares for his comeback, Rick Hendrick addressed the media and touched upon several facets of Elliott’s incident with Hamlin, including the thought process of a driver who decides to do what his driver did. Hendrick claimed while there’s a “fine line” between pushing and shoving when someone wrecks you out of the race, you tend to get “roughed up” and become prone to reacting emotionally.

Having said that, Mr. H is hopeful drivers now will race each other “a little bit cleaner” after Elliott’s suspension. He insisted that while they understand NASCAR penalizing its most popular driver, nobody really likes going through a suspension.

Yet sometimes one has to, so they do it, and the only thing left to do once all of that is behind you is to “move on.”