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Hamlin’s tactics have not gone down well with fans, young and old. In 2017, a particularly angry fan tried to confront Denny Hamlin directly in the pit lane after the race. The situation nearly escalated into an altercation, but crew members intervened and course security quickly removed the fan from the pit lane.
Chase Elliott himself was visibly upset, and expressed his frustration in a post-race interview. He pointed out the inconsistencies in Denny Hamlin’s statements, saying, “The funny thing is, he was saying someone was pushing him, but there was two car lengths between him and the next guy. My mom always said, “If you don’t have anything to say, don’t say anything. He’s not worth my time. We’re going to Texas.” [0:42]
The animosity between Chase Elliott and Denny Hamlin hasn’t cooled since. With both drivers looking to make the championship finals this season, tensions could rise again. In 2017, a single maneuver by Denny Hamlin sparked a long-running feud with Chase Elliott. Recently, NASCAR revisited this memorable clash, reminding fans of the intense on-track battle that unfolded more than eight years ago. At the time, Chase Elliott was driving the No. 24 car for Hendrick Motorsports. On October 19, 2017, Elliott started in third place and Denny Hamlin in sixth. As the race progressed, Hamlin improved from sixth to tenth by the end of the first stage, but dropped out of the top ten in the second stage.
The drama culminated on the final stage, at a restart on lap 497, when Brad Keselowski took the outside line and Elliott took the inside line, with the latter pushing Keselowski’s car up the track and taking the lead. However, Denny Hamlin came too close and slammed into the rear of Elliott, who crashed into the wall and crashed, forcing the race into overtime.
The maneuver led to a heated exchange on pit road, where Elliott and Hamlin apparently confronted each other. When video of the moment resurfaced on NASCAR social media recently, fans relived the intensity of that night. “The race that started Hamlin’s rampage,” one fan wrote. The post had several more comments: “But Elliott still won the championship before Hamlin,” one Elliott fan said.
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