NASCAR Driver Chase Elliott Pushes Photographer Away
NASCAR driver Chase Elliott took his frustration out on a photographer by pushing his lens away and acting aggressively toward the cameraman.
Elliott has since expressed regret over the incident which took place post-race on October 9 at the Charlotte Motor Speedway Roval.
Kind of like this new aggressive Chase Elliott pic.twitter.com/8J0dwkhZto
— BrakeHard (@BrakeHardBlog) October 9, 2022
Elliott is seen chatting with his teammate, William Byron, before noticing the camera and mouths “go away” before pushing the lens with an outstretched arm.
The cameraman backs away, but Elliott still stalks toward him, waving his arms and acting aggressively. The sports commentator notes: “Chase Elliott didn’t want our camera there.”
Not a Wise Move
The race at Charlotte has not gone well for Elliott, who had led for the majority until getting into a spin and finishing 20th.
One week later, Elliott reflected on the incident with the photographer saying that his frustration had gotten the better of him.
“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,” reports Kickin The Tires.
“Look (it was) frustration after a tough race but (it was) not the right move for me to make.”
The incident took place post-race on pit road where there are multiple photographers milling around who represent various media outlets such as Fox, NBC, USA Network, and NASCAR itself.
“You always assume that that’s the case (that a live TV camera is there), but that wasn’t the point of the camera being live or not,” Elliott explains.
“My frustration with the matter (was that I had asked for a little more space). What can I do going down the road other than trying to be better in the future?”
Another Week, Another Photographer Gets Shoved
The incident took place one day before the now infamous Davante Adams incident when the Las Vegas Raider receiver shoved a cameraman to the ground.
The freelance photographer, who has been named as 20-year-old Ryan Zebley, was working for ESPN’s Monday Night Football and has since pressed charges against Adams.
The citation states that Adams “did, by an intentional, overt act, inflict bodily injury or cause an unlawful offensive contact” on the worker, causing whiplash and a headache along with a possible concussion.
