Payback and retaliation are an integral component of NASCAR racing. Many drivers have raced bumper to bumper at multiple occasions. However, in retaliation, Chase Elliott intentionally wrecked Denny Hamlin during last year’s Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway. The No. 11 car had a severe hit that could have resulted in an ugly outcome, but the driver escaped uninjured.
Payback and retaliation are an integral component of NASCAR racing. Many drivers have raced bumper to bumper at multiple occasions. However, in retaliation, Chase Elliott intentionally wrecked Denny Hamlin during last year’s Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway. The hit of the No. 11 car took was nasty and could have led to an ugly outcome, thankfully the driver came out of the car unscathed.
In response to the incident, Hamlin was furious and questioned Elliott’s intentions on the track, saying, “It’s a tantrum, and he shouldn’t be racing next week.” After examining the incident, NASCAR authorities judged Elliott guilty of intentionally wrecking and suspended him for one race. With the 2024 race at the legendary mile-and-a-half track, Hamlin could have attempted to repay the HMS driver. Surprisingly, he appears to have buried his prior frustrations and is looking forward to another exciting race at Charlotte.
Denny Hamlin does not harbor grudges against Elliott.
The HMS star driver has a strong reputation for driving properly and without needless drama. However, the 2023 season was a frustrating one for him, as he lost out on a significant portion of the points race due to injuries. He was going for the win against Hamlin after finishing third at Darlington the week before. However, when racing the No. 11 car, Elliott lost his temper on Lap 186 after being pushed into the wall and purposefully colliding with his opponents. Both drivers finished with a DNF.
In a YouTube interview with WFMY News 2, Hamlin reflected on the event, saying, “That race in particular, I was looking forward to it because I felt like we were really fast during that day and then just made a mistake then and got caught up.” The veteran driver was defending his win from the previous season, but his battle with Elliott led to his early exit from the race.
However, Hamlin is still a fan of the historic event and appreciates the challenges it throws at the race car drivers. “So it’s such a hard race when it comes to how long you have to concentrate. What do you need out of the car? Things like that, I really appreciate the history of it, of it being NASCAR’s longest race, and the mental wear and tear on you as a driver to stay focused for that long. And then, at the end, it always seems to come out to some shootout at the end and we just hope we are on the good end of it.” he added.
The two drivers were at loggerheads during the race at Texas earlier this season. They did race cleanly, but, unfortunately, Hamlin once again found himself crashing into the wall, while Elliott bagged his first win after a torrid 2023 outing.
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