“Nice Guy” Chase Elliott Praised for Classy Denny Hamlin Gesture

Chase Elliott has been voted NASCAR’s most popular driver for several years now, and he showed why this weekend in Indianapolis. It was just a simple gesture toward fellow competitor Denny Hamlin that captured the hearts of fans on social media.

NBC Sports captured a video of the Hendrick Motorsports driver handing a piece of paper to the owner of 23XI Racing. It turned out to be important information about the team, and the #9 driver didn’t even look at it, handing it back to Hamlin. The gesture was appreciated by the Joe Gibbs Racing veteran during a later media interaction.

“An honest guy,” The #11 driver called his potential title rival. The HMS star could have taken it back to his garage or taken a look at what was on the paper. However, he refused to use such underhanded tactics to gain an edge over his rivals. It didn’t take long for fans to sing the praises of the 2020 Cup Series champion. Wins may have been hard to come by in recent years, but Elliott appears to have remained his stylish self.

“Of course he’s a good guy! You won’t find a better one,” wrote a fan on Twitter. “That’s why he’s the most popular driver in NASCAR today,” another user wrote. Elliott has won that title six years in a row. After this gesture, he probably has a case for himself again. His father Bill Elliott holds the record for winning that title more times than anyone else in the history of the sport, with an astonishing 16 victories.

“I don’t care what people say, it’s hard not to like @chaseelliott as a person… nice guy… his mom raised him right,” one user joked. “Chase has always been stylish.” responded another. There’s clearly a lot of love for the Hendrick Motorsports superstar.

He may be a nice guy off the track, but on the track, few are as competitive as the 2020 champion. Elliott missed multiple races last season due to injury and missed the playoffs. He has secured a spot in the round of 16 this season and has been a consistent performer. He will be looking to win his second race of the season at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

The #9 driver came close to victory at Indy last year, but just missed out.Elliott will start the famous event directly behind Denny Hamlin and Tyler Reddick on the front row. On Sunday he will start from P3.