Dale Earnhardt Jr. has weighed in on the feud between Chase Elliott and Daniel Suárez, which began during the Grant Park 165 race in Chicago over the weekend. The two Chevrolet drivers got into it in the last laps of the race, and the former NASCAR Cup Series champion chose to show his anger with the No. 99. It’s clear the two didn’t agree on the incident, as they got into it after the race as well. During the most recent episode of the Dale Jr. Download, the two-time Daytona 500 winner attempted to make sense of what occurred when Elliott and Suárez got into it.
“We also had Chase Elliott in an incident with Daniel Suárez, and Brad Keselowski was a victim of that,” Earnhardt Jr. told the crowd. “… Chase bumped Daniel at the second-to-last corner, sending the No. 6 into the tire barrier, right? So Daniel says, ‘Well s—, I’m sorry, No. 6. I’m sorry, Brad Keselowski. Chase runs by both of them during that circumstance, so Daniel says, ‘Okay, I’m sending you.’ “Watch the in-car footage; it’s insane. Daniel hooks Chase in the left rear. Chase did not have a chance.” Moving forward, Earnhardt Jr. cautioned Elliott not to mess with Suárez, as it is usually a losing battle for anyone clashes with the No. 99.
“You know, one thing I know is you don’t mess with Daniel,” Earnhardt Jr. continued. “… Daniel, if you run into that person or mess with him, he has this reputation that he’s going to get — he’ll be back. He’ll get you back.
You’re not going to get away with that. That’s Daniel. … Chase learned that the hard way.”
Moving forward, Elliott would be wise to listen to Earnhardt Jr. and his advice, as the last-lap beef from Chicago isn’t anything worth dragging out over the course of the remainder of the 2024 campaign. Elliott has his eyes on his second Cup Series title, and he shouldn’t let something like this cloud his vision.
Additionally, Suárez is someone Elliott will have to deal with if he wants to be successful in 2024. The No. 99 wheelman is already locked into the playoffs due to his victory in Atlanta earlier this seasons, and the Hendrick Motorsports star must navigate around him if he’s to get to where he wants to go.
Time will tell if Chase Elliott takes Dale Earnhardt Jr.’s advice to heart, but it’s evident Daniel Suárez isn’t someone to mess with, as the NASCAR Hall of Fame inductee recognizes the No. 99 is better to have with you, not against you.
