CONCORD, N.C. -- Denny Hamlin and Chase Elliott were involved in a big crash midway through Monday’s Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway, and Hamlin said Elliott should be suspended a race for the incident.
Elliott’s car slapped the outside wall near the start-finish line, and his car made contact with Hamlin’s Toyota, sending Hamlin slamming into the wall. The front end of Hamlin’s car was smashed. Elliott’s Chevrolet also was damaged.
Both drivers parked for the evening -- Hamlin finished 35th and Elliott 34th -- and neither was happy.
Hamlin said Elliott had a “tantrum” and said he should be suspended from next week’s race.
“I got right-rear hooked in the middle of the straightway,” Hamlin said. “Yes, it was a tantrum. He shouldn’t be racing next week. Right-rear hooks are absolutely unacceptable. He shouldn’t be racing.”
Elliott had a different view.
“The 11 (Hamlin) put me in the fence, and once you take the right sides off these things it’s kind of over,” Elliott said. “Once you hit the wall in these things, you can’t drive them any more.”
Elliott denied intentionally hitting Hamlin, saying the crash was “unfortunate circumstances.”
Brad Keselowski hit the rear of Elliott’s car after the initial contact between Hamlin and Elliott.
After the crash, Hamlin tweeted data in support of his contention that Elliott drove into him.
Removing all doubt. His steering came back to the exact same position it had previously after we came off the wall.
— Denny Hamlin (@dennyhamlin) May 29, 2023
The higher the line on steering the further LEFT it’s going. pic.twitter.com/DKo7mrLz28