"I asked the guy to give us a little space and he didn’t": When Chase Elliott apologized after manhandling a stubborn cameraman
Chase Elliott was primed to win the 2022 Bank of America ROVAL 400 at Charlotte Motor Speedway Road Course. But the incident after the first overtime restart destroyed the Hendrick Motorsports driver's bid to ace the race. Following a 'tough' day, the frustrated #9 Chevy driver pushed away a cameraman who didn't cater to Elliott's request. However, the driver later regretted his actions and expressed his apology.
The Georgian was fresh from his win at the preceding race at the Talladega Superspeedway. He eyed a second consecutive victory following his P9 start and 30 laps led; and was a handful of laps away from materializing it. However, after getting clipped by Tyler Reddick's #8 Chevy in Turn 6, the HMS driver dropped multiple track positions and couldn't cover up in the final overtime, salvaging a P20 finish.
Though Elliott was among the two HMS drivers to advance to the Round of 8, courtesy of his preceding race win, he wasn't delighted by the Charlotte turnaround. The other driver was William Byron, with whom Elliott was chatting when a cameraman barged into his 'space.'
Despite repeated requests by the 2020 Cup Series champion, the cameraman seemingly didn't address it, which escalated Chase Elliott's frustration. Thus, he put his hands on the camera and pushed the cameraman away.
Following the incident, Elliott reflected on his impulsive reaction and expressed his apologetic view. He said (via KickinTheTires):
“It probably was not a wise move on my behalf, but I asked the guy to give us a little space and he didn’t really,” Elliott said. “Look (it was) frustration after a tough race but (it was) not the right move for me to make.”
Elliott clarified that he wasn't bothered by the cameraman's presence but was displeased when the latter didn't give him the space he requested.
"I'm sure it was my fault somehow": Chase Elliott reflected on his destroyed Charlotte Roval run
Chase Elliott didn't appear to have gained much in the first two stages. The HMS driver finished the opening stage in 11th, two track positions down from where he began, but gained back one spot to round up the second stage in 10th place.
The #9 Chevy driver passed Erik Jones during the final stage's Lap 77 and took charge of the field thereafter. But luck didn't favor the former, as a chunk of wall signage blocked the track, promoting the officials to raise yellow. Elliott spun in the following restart, shattering a potential win.
He was critical of himself post-race and took the onus of the miserable incident. Elliott said (via Frontstretch).
"I don't know if he (AJ Allmendinger) just drove in too hard into (Turn) 3 or didn't turn or whatever. Nonetheless, kind of left me up in the junk. I'm sure it was my fault somehow someway." (0:15).
Chase Elliott wrapped the 2022 season in 4th place, with five wins, 12 top-5s, and 20 top-10s to his name.