(Photo: Dylan Nadwodny | The Podium Finish)
CONCORD, N.C. — Denny Hamlin and Chase Elliott crashed out of Monday’s rescheduled Coca-Cola 600 in an incident Hamlin believed had intent.
On Lap 186, the No. 11 Joe Gibbs Racing car doored Elliott’s No. 9 car twice — the second time sent Elliott into the wall exiting Turn 4. Elliott immediately turned down and hooked Hamlin into the outside wall, severely damaging both cars and taking them out of the race.
Hamlin thought that the Hendrick Motorsports driver crashed him purposely, comparing the incident to last year when Bubba Wallace seemed to intentionally crash Kyle Larson at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.
“I got right-rear hooked in the middle of the straightaway,” a candid Hamlin told FOX. “It’s a tantrum and he shouldn’t be racing next week. Right rear hooks are absolutely unacceptable. “I don’t care. It is the same thing that Bubba Wallace did with Kyle Larson. Exact same. He shouldn’t be racing. It’s a tantrum.”
After hooking Larson and then shoving him at his car immediately after, NASCAR issued Wallace a one-race suspension and seemed to set a new precedent. Hamlin implied that NASCAR should do the same for Elliott.
Upon exiting the infield care center, Hamlin reviewed SMT data and revealed his findings on social media.
Removing all doubt. His steering came back to the exact same position it had previously after we came off the wall.
The higher the line on steering the further LEFT it’s going. pic.twitter.com/DKo7mrLz28— Denny Hamlin (@dennyhamlin) May 29, 2023
Elliott told FOX that he sustained damage after Hamlin pinched him into the wall, resulting in the violent crash.
“[Hamlin] ran us up into the fence there. Once you tear the right side off these things, it’s kind of over,” Elliott said. “I hate it – I thought our No. 9 NAPA Chevy was getting better. It was nice to be making some gains there throughout the race. Our pit stops were really good. We had some pretty good fortune to get up towards the front there. It was just trying to get to mile 600 and have a shot, so, unfortunately, failed to do that again.
“Like I said, once you hit the wall in these things, you can’t drive them anymore. So no, just unfortunate circumstances.”
(Photo: Dylan Nadwodny | The Podium Finish)
Before crashing, both cars were in contention to win NASCAR’s longest race, running sixth and seventh at the time of the incident. Elliott didn’t earn any points in Stage 1 but briefly led for six laps in Stage 2. Hamlin led 20 of the first 37 laps after starting the race in fourth and earned five stage points. Elliott got credited with a 34th-place finish and Hamlin got credited for 35th.
Hamlin, who won the 2022 Coca-Cola 600, is eighth in driver’s points and ninth on the Playoff grid after earning a total of seven points on Monday. Elliott sits 29th in both and likely faces a must-win situation after missing six races with a fractured tibia sustained in a snowboarding accident.
Any further penalty to Elliott would be announced later in the week.
