Denny Hamlin ate dinner next to the winning Pocono Raceway trophy, opened the celebratory champagne awarded to the victor and enjoyed a glass with his meal.
It was an advertisement: “Live on EBay. 1 tainted trophy and 1 used bottle of champagne,” he posted on social media.
The first Cup winner to be disqualified since April 17, 1960, hasn’t shied away from poking fun at the predicament Joe Gibbs Racing found itself in when the Toyotas of Hamlin and runner-up Kyle Busch failed postrace inspection Sunday at Pocono. Hamlin even shoved a clear piece of tape into the mouth of the eagle on the Pocono trophy to represent the illegal tape NASCAR says it found on the two JGR cars after the race.
He estimated the clear tape – because it stripped him of the victory and all the spoils that come with a win – was “worth about 300k. (Not to be included in sale).”
Chase Elliott is unlikely to bid on any of the items. He was eventually declared the winner of Sunday’s race at Pocono, where he finished third and never led a lap but inherited the win when JGR failed inspection.