NASCAR Cup Series star Chase Elliott has revealed that his 2013 disqualification after winning the Snowball Derby still hurts to this day.

These days, Elliott is a bona fide NASCAR star and the most popular driver in the sport, but back then, he was just a 17-year-old kid on the come-up, looking to make his way to NASCAR and follow in the footsteps of his father, Bill.

As diehard racing fans will know, the Snowball Derby is a hugely prestigious Super Late Model event held annually at Five Flags Speedway in Florida, and that year, Elliott had crossed the finish line first, only to have the victory cruelly taken away post-race.

In technical inspection, inspector Ricky Brooks disqualified Elliott's team from the event having found an illegal block of tungsten on their car, which was being used as a replacement for the lead weighting that the series typically used. This handed Erik Jones the victory.

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Chase Elliott on Snowball Derby disqualification

Speaking to The Athletic, Elliott has now revealed that he wishes he could go back and do things differently, eventually admitting that it's still something that hurts him to this day, even if he can see the humor in it.

"Those years led to some opportunities down the line, so it’s hard to look back and say I’d change something," Elliott said.

"The hardest loss was having that Snowball Derby taken away. That really sucked.

"I’d love to have that whole situation back; it could have very easily been avoided."

Elliott later added: "Going back to the Snowball Derby thing, I say 'laugh' lightly. A little. It still hurts.

"The way that whole thing went down, I can find some humor in it now, how easily it could have been avoided. Looking back, it’s a good lesson in listening to your dad.

"Not so funny at the time, and I still wish I had that weekend back, but I can see the humor in how it all went down now."

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