Chase Elliott's Penalty Rescinded, NASCAR Penalizes Chris Buescher for Forcing Elliott Below Yellow Line

TALLADEGA, ALABAMA – OCTOBER 04: Jimmie Johnson, driver of the #48 Ally Chevrolet, and Chase Elliott, driver of the #9 NAPA Auto Parts Chevrolet, talk on the grid prior to the NASCAR Cup Series YellaWood 500 at Talladega Superspeedway on October 04, 2020 in Talladega, Alabama. (Photo by Chris Graythen/Getty Images)

In an interesting – and quite frankly surprising — turn of events, NASCAR has announced the reversal of Chase Elliott’s penalty for advancing his position below the yellow line. The penalty had moved Elliott from fifth-place to 22nd-place, costing him 17 points in the fight to make the next round of the NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs.

Rather than penalizing Elliott for making a pass below the yellow line, NASCAR has decided to penalize Chris Buescher’s Roush Fenway Racing Ford Mustang for forcing the Hendrick Motorsports driver below the yellow line, a move which not only moves Buescher from sixth to 22nd, but bumps Roush Fenway Racing teammate Ryan Newman outside the top-five.

“The penalty to the No. 9 for passing below the double yellow line has been rescinded. In NASCAR’s judgement, the No. 9 car was forced below the double yellow line. NASCAR has penalized the No. 17 for forcing the No. 9 below the double line.”

— NASCAR statement

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Joseph Srigley

Joseph maintains the role of Managing Editor for TobyChristie.com, while also working as an Editor for Racing America. Additionally, Joseph graduated from the University of Windsor in 2022 with a Business Administration degree, a specialization in Supply Chain Management and Data Analytics, and a minor in Mathematics.