Denny Hamlin is not thrilled with Chase Elliott after the two drivers were unable to finish Monday’s Coca-Cola 600.
Hamlin says he was right rear hooked by Elliott on Lap 186 of the race at Charlotte Motor Speedway, Fox News reports.
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Hamlin and Elliott were side-by-side when Hamlin forced Elliott into the outside wall. Elliott then made contact with Hamlin’s right rear, forcing him head-on into the wall.
Hamlin seemed to insinuate that Elliott’s move was intentional by calling it a “tantrum” and wants Elliott off the racetrack for next Sunday’s Enjoy Illinois 300.
“I got right-rear hooked in the middle of the straightaway. It’s a tantrum, and he shouldn’t be racing next week. Right rear hooks are absolutely unacceptable,” Hamlin said.
“It is the same thing that Bubba Wallace did with Kyle Larson, exact same. He shouldn’t be racing.”
The broadcast says Hamlin went on his radio and called the move “complete BS.”
Elliott claims he did nothing intentional.
“The 11 ran us up in the fence there, and once you tear the right side off these things, it’s kind of over,” Elliott said.
“Once you hit the wall in these things, you can’t drive them anymore. Just an unfortunate circumstance.”
Hamlin took to Twitter afterwards to bring telemetry data and argue his point.
“Removing all doubt,” he said.
“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.
“Absolute left hook. Cranked the wheel four times harder left than he did making any corner through the whole day. Bullsh*t move.”
Social media was livid with the move, with Formula One statistician Sean Kelly saying the hit could possibly warrant “jail time”.
“If that’s retaliation, we should consider that if one of us were to do that on a public road we’d be looking at jail time,” Kelly said.
Another fan on social media called it “reckless retaliation from Elliott.”
“Insane manoeuvre,” they said.
Motorsport.com editor Nick DeGroot called it “very ugly”.
NASCAR is reportedly investigating the crash.
Both were evaluated and released from the care centre. Elliott did not finish last year’s race either.
The race was postponed from Sunday to Monday due to rain, and it was interrupted again on Monday due to weather.
– with Fox News
