Denny Hamlin once openly criticized Chase Elliott for deliberately causing a collision during a race, asserting that Elliott shouldn’t be allowed to compete afterward. This incident occurred during the Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway, where both drivers were forced out of the race following the clash. As a result, Elliott was suspended for one race.
The incident happened on lap 186 when Hamlin, driving the No. 11 Toyota Camry for Joe Gibbs Racing, put pressure on Elliott’s No. 9 Chevrolet Camaro, fielded by Hendrick Motorsports. After Elliott made contact with the wall, he retaliated by bumping the rear of Hamlin’s car. This caused both vehicles to suffer damage that ended their races early. In a post-race interview, Hamlin, at 43 years old, was clear in his disapproval of Elliott’s actions. He criticized his rival for the intentional wreck, stating that Elliott had no place racing after such a move.
Hamlin expressed his frustration, calling Elliott’s behavior a “tantrum” and stressing that right rear hooks were simply not acceptable in NASCAR. He went on to say, “He shouldn’t be racing next week.” Hamlin then referenced a similar incident involving Bubba Wallace and Kyle Larson at the 2022 Las Vegas race, where Wallace used a similar maneuver that prematurely ended both drivers’ races. Hamlin drew a direct comparison between the two situations, noting that Elliott’s actions mirrored Wallace’s from the previous year.
Following the race, NASCAR handed Elliott a suspension, forcing him to sit out the following event at World Wide Technology Raceway. During that race, Hamlin secured a second-place finish behind Kyle Busch. Meanwhile, Hendrick Motorsports opted not to challenge the suspension and instead assigned Corey LaJoie to fill in for Elliott behind the wheel of the No. 9 car. This suspension marked the seventh race Elliott missed in 2023, including the six races he was sidelined due to a snowboarding injury earlier in the season.
The 2020 NASCAR Cup Series champion, Chase Elliott, endured a challenging season. Despite securing seven top-5 finishes and 15 top-10 finishes, he failed to win a race for the first time since 2017, his second year in the Cup Series. Moreover, Elliott also missed the playoffs for the first time in his career, a notable setback given his prior success in the sport.
In the latest race of the 2024 NASCAR Cup Series season, held at Kansas Speedway, Elliott managed to secure a 9th-place finish, despite facing difficulties. He started the race from the back of the field after his car experienced an engine issue on Saturday, preventing him from setting a qualifying time. Although Elliott’s performance at Kansas was commendable, he voiced dissatisfaction with the overall execution of the weekend.
In a conversation with NBC Sports’ motorsports journalist Dustin Long, Elliott shared his thoughts on the race, pointing out that his team’s pit stops were a major factor that hindered their performance. He remarked, “We just had an uphill battle all day. I thought our car was pretty good, and we were able to move forward quite a bit.” However, Elliott highlighted how starting from a poor pit position led to a continuous struggle. “Because we had a bad pit pick, it put us in a bad position to lose spots on pit road. We’d gain a bunch of spots and then lose them again because of the pit road situation.”
Despite these challenges, Elliott expressed some satisfaction with his ability to climb into the top 10. “We tried to claw back, fall back up in the top 10. It was nice to at least get that one.”
With his 9th-place finish at Kansas behind him, Elliott is now setting his sights on the upcoming race at Talladega Superspeedway, where the YellaWood 500 is scheduled to take place on October 6.
He shouldn’t be racing; It’s a tantrum” – When Denny Hamlin called for Chase Elliott’s suspension after a wrecking incident
